AltWeeklies Wire
Not Quite All: Redmayne Wows as Hawking, But Biopic Falls Flat
While possessing an outstanding performance by Eddie Redmayne in the role of the great theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, “The Theory of Everything” is formulaic to a fault.
Vampire Culture: Jake Gyllenhaal Goes Dark
Social satire doesn’t get much blacker than it does in “Nightcrawler.”
The Snowden: Effect Edward Snowden — During and After
Laura Poitras’s fascinating documentary, about the process and aftermath of whistleblower Edward Snowden’s earth-shattering revelations, is an essential historical filmic document.
Box of Trash: Laika Animation Goes Backwards
This animated 3D children’s picture is as clumsy, tone-deaf, and useless as they come. Laika, the Oregon animation production company behind “Coraline” (2009) and “ParaNorman” (2012) takes more than a few a steps backward.
Less Than Zero: Terry Gilliam Slips On a Virtual Banana Peel
Terry Gilliam’s further slide down the stairs of filmic entropy is best summed up in an oft-repeated phrase by his latest film’s hypochondriac protagonist Qohen Leth, “Q” for short. “We are dying.”
One-Woman Revolution: Charlotte Roche’s Novel Goes Big, and Nasty
Challenging and provocative, co-writer/director David Wnendt’s nervy adaptation of Charlotte Roche’s long-presumed unfilmable popular novel breaks new cinematic ground.
Pro-Israel Propaganda: Elvis Style
A shoe-in for a spot on the worst movies of 2014 list, this poorly constructed slice of filmic propaganda, courtesy of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (the MJAA), is so unintentionally campy you can’t help but laugh.
Black, White, and Red: Greed, Lust, and Violence Do It Again for Frank Miller and Robert Rodriquez
Oozing with more hard-boiled wit than two Dashiell Hammett novels put together, and more visually compelling than every comic-book movie Hollywood has put out in the past three-years combined, “Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” is an action-packed feast.
Zeitgeist: John Lithgow and Alfred Molina Get Married
Although it suffers from a glaring third-act jump that makes you wonder where four or five ostensibly missing scenes went, “Love Is Strange” resonates as a heartfelt allegory about committed gay relationships in modern day America.
Straight Man — Funny Man — Both Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon Take Another Bath Together
You couldn’t pick two more entertaining companions to go with on a filmic road trip in Italy than Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
Skin Game: Post-9/11 & Pre-Snowden Spy Thriller Speaks German
Anton Corbjin’s unconventional post-9/11 spy thriller (based on a 2008 John le Carré novel) remains an engaging experience despite numerous aspects that weigh it down.
Splendid Isolation: Bernardo Bertolucci Offers Another Cinematic Gift
Bernardo Bertolucci’s long awaited return to filmmaking after a decade-long absence is a beautifully photographed and provocative coming-of-age drama in the vein of Bertolucci’s “La Luna” and his last film “The Dreamers.”
Sophomore Slump: Not Even Robert Pattinson Can Save “The Rover”
Director/co-writer David Michôd suffers a sophomore slump in this disappointing follow-up to his well-crafted debut “Animal Kingdom” (2010).
Kinky Boots: Roman Polanski Gives Takes Venus All The Way
Roman Polanski’s 20th film is an exquisite deconstructionist articulation of a quicksilver sadomasochistic tug-of-war between a middle-aged theater director and an enigmatic actress auditioning for a role in his upcoming play “Venus in Furs.” She just might be Venus incarnate.
Loose With Math: Seth MacFarlane’s Comedy: 50 Laughs From 100 Tries
Of the hundred or so gags, jokes, and one-liners that comic genius Seth MacFarlane throws at the wall over the course of his bawdy and sometimes grotesque western comedy, nearly half of them connect with a funny bone.
