By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ I hate getting older. Sure, there are some benefits, like reduced pricing at theatres, AARP membership, IHOP senior meals, and other perks, but I’m not quite there yet. Still it looms. Quartet, starring the irrepressible Maggie Smith, funny man Billy Connelly, lovable Pauline Collins and veteran British actor Tom Courtenay… Continue reading Review: Quartet
Category: Reviews
Review: Amour
By Laurie Coker Rating: B- I watched the critically acclaimed Amour over holiday break and afterward had an online discussion with a friend and former film critic about it and all the hype surrounding it. When he lived in Austin, our reviews of films rarely matched up. We have, at times, extremely diverse ideas about… Continue reading Review: Amour
Review: Broken City
By Laurie Coker Rating: C+/B- While not overtly revolutionary, Mark Wahlberg’s new film Broken City does entertain and surprisingly, in spite of its faults, does keep the audience guessing. Even with its pat plot, director Allen Hughes (the first time at the helm without brother Albert) and his strong cast manage to toss in a… Continue reading Review: Broken City
Review: RUST AND BONE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Two people, broken in different ways, from vastly different worlds, form an unlikely romance and offer each other what is missing from their lives in a gorgeous and emotional film by the director of 2009’s The Prophet, Jaques Audiard. Ali (Mattias Shoenaerts) and his son Sam… Continue reading Review: RUST AND BONE
Review: THE LAST STAND
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The former “Governator” is officially back in his first lead role in several years, and though the film is often silly, dumb and a tad ridiculous, damn, it is so much fun! Despite some of the absurdities and asinine humor, director Kim Ji-Woon (I Saw the… Continue reading Review: THE LAST STAND
Two for ONE Reviews: Gangster Squad and Zero Dark Thirty
By Laurie Coker Rating: Gangster Squad C+ Zero Dark Thirty A- With time running away from me, yet again, I’ve decided to review two films in one this week. Zero Dark Thirty and Gangster Squad. Both star exceptional, versatile actors and both entertain – one more for the overblown almost comic book feel, the other… Continue reading Two for ONE Reviews: Gangster Squad and Zero Dark Thirty
Review: ZERO DARK THIRTY
By Renee’ Collins Rating: 3.5 (out of 5 Reels) Having recently seen Ben Affleck’s Argo, in a way, I expected another interesting and suspenseful film. The only problem is that I knew the outcomes for both movies. I am a regular watcher of CBS Sunday Morning and saw the story about the real life person, Tony… Continue reading Review: ZERO DARK THIRTY
Review: ZERO DARK THIRTY
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Two great thrillers about historical C.I.A. operations were released recently to much deserved acclaim. On one side of the coin is Ben Affleck’s Argo, an exciting, but more sensationalized movie account of the Canadian Caper which aided the U.S. embassy members trapped in Iran in 1979.… Continue reading Review: ZERO DARK THIRTY
Review: GANGSTER SQUAD
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Gangster movies have come a long way since Paul Muni portrayed the title character in Howard Hawks’ Scarface and James Cagney chewed scenery aplenty in The Public Enemy and White Heat. In fact, those classic crime stories play out somewhat cartoonishly after Frances Ford Coppola and… Continue reading Review: GANGSTER SQUAD
Review: THE IMPOSSIBLE
By Laurie Coker Rating: A Ah, the randomness of nature, it never ceases to amaze and stupefy even experts. When in Japan a few years back, my cohort of twenty teachers on a seminar there had to be evacuated from Okinawa early because of an oncoming monsoon. As disappointed as I felt, having to miss… Continue reading Review: THE IMPOSSIBLE