In not following the status quo of most high school movie tendencies and for being more honest than angst-ridden, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an extremely soulful and satisfying challenge for the normally fluffy or unrealistic high school setting of movies.
Read MoreTrouble with the Curve has the cliched conveniences of a romantic comedy, but offers more than that to appreciate thanks to Clint Eastwood. He's always been an actor you can't help but enjoy watching, even if it's the same growl every time lately. Just when you think his routine doesn't have range, he still surprises you with his humor and heart.
Read MoreMovies have always been considered magic on some level, to make fiction appear to come to life. Some movies, though, just flat-out have more magic than others. Steven Spielberg's E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial is one of those movies. The film has more heart, finesse, performance, and magic in single scenes than some movies have in their entire running time, and does it with an animatronic special effect as a main character.
Read MoreWriter-director David Mamet, if anything, is a student of the art of performance. Much like Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdanovich, Mamet enjoys emulating old film styles with his eclectic work. In Redbelt from 2008, he takes a stab at the samurai genre of Akira Kurosawa. With no modern samurais in this world, he tackles to world and coiled discipline of mixed martial arts.
Read MoreOne of the more thought-provoking, outrageous, and enjoyable science fiction sub genres is time travel movies. In honor of the release of the new film Looper, here's my list of the ten best time travel movies of all-time, with a few bonuses along the way.
Read MoreTime travel movies are supposed to be a somewhat confusing clash of logic and curiosity about the future and Looper lives up to that trend. That's their fun and appeal. Looper's palette for the future, while on the bleak side, is far from preposterous and completely apocalyptic. It's driving story premise, while crazy, is far less ludicrous to accept and play along with than so many other and lesser time travel movies.
Read MoreNominated for four Academy Awards after its release in 1994, Robert Redford directed an impressive historical film Quiz Show that was eclipsed that year by the awards juggernaut that was Forrest Gump and has since been overshadowed by its fellow nominees Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption.
Read MoreFor this writer, Paul Thomas Anderson is a divisive tough sell. His movies, while technically sound and visually sharp, can frequently feel tiresome, bizarre, and vague to me. For many critics and cinephiles, those adjectives make him a courageous, risk-tasking genius instead. Such can be granted, but, with apologies, his nature and results can still make him exactly the former: tiresome, bizarre, and vague. The Master perpetuates that split sentiment.
Read MoreRobot and Frank sneaks up on you. Maybe you won't think as lofty as I did about the impacts and elements of technology and mortality, but the film will challenge you enough to give you pause that equals its entertainment.
Read MoreThere's never a predictable moment in the entire film. With its recipe of unspoken magic, flawed relationships, and ideals on finding inspiration and perfection and daring to keep them, Ruby Sparks is a wholly different, unique, challenging, and satisfying romantic comedy experience.
Read MoreOverall, Lawless is on par with Public Enemies and is a worthy choice for those looking for a Western-like tale and a gangster film with a more rural and gritty country setting. For those modern folks out there, think of it as a prequel to FX's Justified.
Read MoreThis week, NCM Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies teamed up for the first of a four movie "Event Series" to celebrate Universal Pictures' 100th Anniversary. The first of the series was Alfred Hitchock's The Birds from 1963.
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