Writer/Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette ‘A Magnificent Masterpiece’ About halfway through Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”, … More
Tag: poignant
“Gravity” (2013) – Spectacular Space Thriller
Writer/Director: Alfonso Cauron Co-writer: Jonas Cauron Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney and Ed Harris ‘A Groundbreaking Achievement’ How often do … More
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” (2013) – Spectacular Star Trek Sequel
Director: J.J. Abrams Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch ‘Spectacular … More
“The Way Way Back” (2013) – Captivating Coming-of-Age Drama
Writers/Directors: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash Starring: Liam James, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell and Maya Rudolph ‘Captivating Drama’ We’re all … More
“The Wolverine” (2013) – Wonderful Wolverine Blockbuster
Director: James Mangold … More
“The Spectacular Now” (2013) – Spectacular Romantic Drama
Director: James Ponsoldt Writer: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson ‘Spectacular Romantic … More
“Prisoners” (2013) – Captivating Child Abduction Thriller
Director: Denis Villeneuve Writer: Aaron Guzikowski Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard ‘Powerful Abduction Thriller’ Movies rarely ever surprise … More
“The Place Beyond the Pines” (2013) – Magnificent Fatherhood Masterpiece
Writer/Director: Derek Cianfrance Co-writers: Ben Coccio and Darius Marder Starring: Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Bradley Cooper ‘A Multi-Generational Masterpiece’ … More
“Man of Steel” (2013) – Soaring Superman Reboot
Director: Zack Snyder Writer: David S. Goyer (based on story by Christopher Nolan) Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Michael … More
“Iron Man 3” (2013) – Marvelous Iron Man Sequel
Writer/Director: Shane Black Co-writer: Drew Pearce Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley ‘Starkly Superior Sequel’ Twists are … More
“Her” (2013) – Meaningful Technology Masterpiece
Writer/Director: Spike Jonze Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson and Amy Adams ‘A Mesmerizing Masterpiece’ You rarely ever see movies that … More
“Despicable Me 2” (2013) – Dazzling Animated Sequel
Director: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud Writers: Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt ‘Spectacular … More
“Dallas Buyers Club” (2013) – Powerful AIDS Crisis Drama
Director: Jean-Marc Valee Writers: Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner ‘Powerful AIDS Drama’ You … More
“The Counselor” (2013) – Disappointing Drug Cartel Drama
Director: Ridley Scott Writer: Cormac McCarthy Starring: Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem and Cameron Diaz ‘Waste of Talent’ Glamorous style overrides … More
“Captain Phillips” (2013) – Captivating Hostage Crisis Thriller
Director: Paul Greengrass Writer: Billy Ray Starring: Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi ‘Captivating Hijacking Thriller’ “Captain Phillips” is the most … More
“The Butler” (2013) – Brilliant Butler Biopic
Director: Lee Daniels Writer: Danny Strong (based on article by Wil Haygood) Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey and Alex Pettyfer … More
“About Time” (2013) – Remarkable Romantic Drama
Writer/Director: Richard Curtis Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy ‘Remarkable Romantic Drama’ Romantic comedies are almost always predictable. … More
“Skyfall” (2012) – Spectacular Bond Sequel
Director: Sam Mendes Writers: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan Starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes ‘Brilliant Bond … More
“Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) – Magnificent Mental Health Masterpiece
Writer/Director: David O. Russell Based on novel by Matthew Quick Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro ‘Magnificent Masterpiece’ It’s … More
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012) – Meaningful Adolescence Masterpiece
Writer/Director: Stephen Chbosky Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller ‘Meaningful Masterpiece’ “Why do nice people choose the wrong people … More
“Looper” (2012) – Terrific Time Travel Thriller
Writer/Director: Rian Johnson Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt ‘Original Entertainment’ “Looper” is written and directed by Rian … More
“Lincoln” (2012) – Powerful President Biopic
Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Tony Kushner (based on novel by Doris Kearns Goodwin) … More
“Life of Pi” (2012) – Life-Affirming Literature Adaptation
Director: Ang Lee Writer: David Magee (based off novel by Yann Martel) Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu ‘Beautiful Book … More
“Hitchcock” (2012) – Brilliant Hitchcock Biopic
Director: Sacha Gervasi Writer: John J. McLaughlin (based off book by Stephen Rebello) Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson … More
“Flight” (2012) – Powerful Alcohol Addiction Drama
Director: Robert Zemeckis Writer: John Gatins Starring Denzel Washington, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle ‘Astonishing Alcoholism Drama’ It’s not often that … More
“Django Unchained” (2012) – Magnificent Tarantino Masterpiece
Writer/Director: Quentin Tarantino Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio ‘A Bloody Great Time’ You don’t always see long movies … More
“Barfi” (2012) – Brilliant Bollywood Musical
Writer/Director: Anurag Basu Co-writer: Sanjeev Dutta Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana, and Saurabh Shukla ‘Bollywood at its Best’ Indian … More
“The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) – Wonderful Web-Slinger Reboot
Director: Marc Webb Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Sally Field ‘Spectacular Reboot’ “The Amazing Spider-Man” is directed by Marc … More
“The Avengers” (2012) – Marvelous Comic-Book Blockbuster
Writer/Director: Joss Whedon Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo ‘Marvel-ous Entertainment’ “The Avengers” is written and directed … More
“Steve Jobs” (2011) – Brilliant Steve Jobs Biography
Author: Walter Isaacson Publication Date: 2011 ‘A Brilliant Biography’ “I think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be … More
“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002) – Spectacular Sequel
Director: Chris Columbus Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint ‘Spectacular Sequel’ “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” is … More
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (1997) – A Spellbinding Fantasy Book
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is a children’s book written by J.K. Rowling. Its the first novel in the … More
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (2011) – Beautiful Period Piece
Directed by John Madden Written by Ol Parker Starring Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, and Maggie Smith ‘A Charming Comedy’ Sometimes … More
“A Separation” (2011) – Mesmerizing Iranian Masterpiece
Writer/Director: Asghar Farhadi Starring: Payman Maadi, Leila Hatami, and Sareh Bayat ‘Magnificent Masterpiece’ Certain decisions are difficult to make. Especially … More
“Inside Out” (2015) – Pixar’s Emotional Masterpiece
Writer/Director: Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen Co-writers: Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Lewis … More
“Inside Out 2” (2024) – Incredibly Emotional Animation Sequel
Director: Kelsey Mann Starring: Amy Poehler, Lewis Black and Maya Hawke … More
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024) – Magnificent Mad Max Prequel
Writer/Director: George Miller Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke … More
“Challengers” (2024) – Remarkable Tennis Romance Drama
Director: Luca Guadagnino Starring: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’ Connor … More
“Wonka” (2023) – A Wonderful Musical
Writer/Director: Paul King Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant … More
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) – Spectacular Animated Sequel
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson … More
“Saltburn” (2023) – Sensational Social Class Satire
Writer/Director: Emerald Fennell Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elrodi, Rosamund Pike … More
Why “Past Lives” Was My Favorite Film of 2023
Do you remember the time when you fell in love with your first crush? Memories of crushes have shaped my … More
“Past Lives” (2023) – Mesmerizing Korean Masterpiece
Writer/Director: Celine Song Starring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro … More
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” (2015) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Christopher McQuarrie Co-Writers: Drew Pearce and Bruce Geller Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson ‘A Mission Accomplished’ … More
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2018) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill and Rebecca Ferguson ‘A Mission Accomplished’ When it comes to the most … More
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg … More
“The Iron Claw” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Sean Durkin Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Holy McCallany … More
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984) – Movie Review
Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Willard Huck and Gloria Katz Starring: Harrison Ford, Jonathan Ke Quan, Amrish Puri ‘Spectacular Sequel’ “Indiana … More
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: James Mangold Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen … More
“The Holdovers” (2023) – Movie Review
Director: Alexander Payne Starring: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’ Vine Joy Randolph … More
“A Haunting in Venice” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Kenneth Branagh Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey … More
“The Color Purple” (2023) – Movie Review
Director: Blitz Buzuwale Starring: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks … More
“Bottoms” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Emma Seligman Starring: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri and Ruby Cruz ‘Captivating Comedy’ Have you ever been treated with ridicule … More
“BlackBerry” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Matt Johnson Starring: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson … More
“Barbie” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Greta Gerwig Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera … More
“Anatomy of a Fall” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Justine Triet Starring: Sandra Huller, Milo Machado-Graner, Samuel Theis … More
“American Fiction” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Cord Jefferson Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown … More
“All Of Us Strangers” (2023) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Andrew Haigh Starring: Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell … More
“Air” (2023) – Movie Review
Director: Ben Affleck Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis … More
“Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) – Movie Review
Director: Joseph Kosinski Writers: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller and Val Kilmer … More
“The Whale” (2022) – Movie Review
Director: Darren Aronofsky Starring: Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau and Sadie Sink … More
“Ticket to Paradise” (2022) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Ol Parker Starring Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Kaitlyn Dever ‘Captivating Rom-Com’ Divorce is a time-consuming process inciting Kramer Vs. … More
“A Man Called Otto” (2022) – Movie Review
Director: Marc Foster Starring: Tom Hanks, Mariana Trevino, Truman Hanks … More
“Joyland” (2022) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Saim Sadiq Starring: Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq … More
“The Fabelmans” (2022) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano … More
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Ryan Coogler Starring: Letitia Wright, Angela Basset, Lupita Nyong’o … More
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Martin McDonagh Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan … More
“Pig” (2021) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Michael Sarnoski Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin ‘Riveting Revenge Thriller’ Few movie-stars in Hollywood once regarded … More
“No Time to Die” (2021) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Cary Fukunaga Starring: Daniel Craig, Lashana Lynch and Rami Malek ‘Satisfying Swansong’ Brawny beauties are seldom rewarded licenses to … More
“CODA” (2021) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Sian Heder Starring: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin ‘Powerful Disability Drama’ Silenced stories of celebrities without hearing … More
“Pieces of a Woman” (2020) – Movie Review
Director: Kornél Mundruczó Writer: Kata Webér Starring: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf and Ellen Burstyn ‘Heartbreaking Homebirth Drama’ It is never … More
“Minari” (2020) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Lee Isaac Chung Starring: Steven Yeun, Alan Kim and Youn Yuh-jung ‘A Mesmerizing Masterpiece’ Foreign films are rarely rewarded … More
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020) – Movie Review
Director: George C. Wolfe Writer: Ruben Santiago-Hudson (based on August Wilson’s play) Starring: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman and Colman Domingo … More
“Mank” (2020) – Movie Review
Director: David Fincher Writer: Jack Fincher Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins ‘Filmmaking at its Finest’ When discussing … More
“Hillbilly Elegy” (2020) – Movie Review
Director: Ron Howard Writer: Vanessa Taylor (based on book by J.D. Vance) Starring: Amy Adams, Glenn Close and Gabriel Basso … More
“Hamilton” (2020) – Movie Review
Director: Thomas Kail Writer: Lin-Manuel Miranda Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Jonathan Groff ‘A Must-See Musical’ Broadway musicals … More
“The Father” (2020) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Florian Zeller Co-writer: Christopher Hampton Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman and Mark Gatiss ‘Powerful Dementia Drama’ Dementia is a … More
“Bo Burnham: Inside” (2020) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Bo Burnham Starring: Bo Burnham ‘Spectacular Stand-up Special’ Never has it been more challenging for comedians with hectic routines … More
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Céline Sciamma Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel and Valeria Golino ‘Powerful Period Piece’ Lesbian love stories are rarely depicted … More
“Pain and Glory” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Pedro Almodóvar Starring: Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz and Asier Etxeandia ‘A Glorious Achievement’ Few filmmakers from Spain have achieved … More
“Official Secrets” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Gavin Hood Co-writers: Gregory and Sara Bernstein Starring: Keira Knightley, Matt Smith and Ralph Fiennes ‘A Tense Political Thriller’ … More
“Marriage Story” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Noah Baumbach Starring: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Laura Dern ‘Mesmerizing Marriage Masterpiece’ It is always hard to move … More
“Just Mercy” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Co-writer: Andrew Lanham (based on book) Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson ‘Captivating … More
“Jojo Rabbit” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Taika Waititi Based on the book by Christine Leunens Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell ‘Hilarious … More
“Harriet” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Kasi Lemmons Co-writer: Gregory Allen Howard Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monáe ‘Brilliant Historical Biopic’ When … More
“The Farewell” (2019) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Lulu Wang Starring: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma and Diana Lin ‘Fantastic Family Drama’ It is always hard to come to … More
“Leave No Trace” (2018) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Debra Granik Co-writer: Anne Rosellini Starring: Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie ‘Deeply Moving Drama’ Imagine living a life of … More
“Incredibles 2” (2018) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Brad Bird Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson ‘An Incredible Sequel’ When it comes to … More
“Eighth Grade” (2018) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Bo Burnham Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton and Emily Robinson ‘Astonishing Adolescence Drama’ Perhaps, no time in a person’s … More
“Ben is Back” (2018) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Peter Hedges Starring: Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges and Courtney B. Vance ‘Powerful Drug-Addiction Drama’ Imagine being the mother of … More
“BlacKkKlansman” (2018) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Spike Lee Co-writers: Charlie Watchel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace … More
“Arrival” (2016) – Movie Review
Director: Denis Villeneuve Writer: Eric Heisserer (based on short story) Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker ‘Spellbinding Science-Fiction’ … More
“The Gift” (2015) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Joel Edgerton Starring: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall and Joel Edgerton ‘A Thought-Provoking Thriller’ About halfway through Joel Edgerton’s latest … More
“Boyhood” (2014) – Movie Review
Writer/Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette ‘A Magnificent Masterpiece’ About halfway through Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”, … More
“Zero Dark Thirty” (2012) – Movie Review
Director: Kathryn Bigelow Writer: Mark Boal Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, and Kyle Chandler ‘Tense Terrorism Thriller’ From what I … More
“Life of Pi” (2012) – Movie Review
Director: Ang Lee Writer: David Magee (based off novel by Yann Martel) Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu ‘Beautiful Book … More
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” (2011) – Movie Review
Director: David Yates Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson ‘Fantastic Franchise Finale’ Few characters in English literature are as … More
“Arthur Christmas” (2011) – Movie Review
Directors: Sarah Smith and Barry Cook Starring: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Billy Nighy ‘Astonishing Animation’ “Arthur Christmas” is directed by … More
The Film Buff 