Two things before my review of Gravity. First, how was this movie not made until now? It seems like such an elementary idea, that I have no clue how nobody thought of it. Second, if you are going to film a story about space, and I mean real space – not science fiction space –…
The Tree of Life, nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Cinematography Oscars and winner of AFI’s Best Picture of 2011, is one of those films that few can attempt and even fewer can accomplish. It is also one of those films, at least one a year, that Academy voters and Cannes adore but most of…
The Happiest Place on Earth? A typical family is winding up a Disney vacation when Dad gets a phone call that he has lost his job. The shock and sadness cause a series of delusions and hallucinations while they travel through the Magic Kingdom and other parks. Even a beautiful place like Disney can seem…
If you told me that I would ever watch a feature film that is only eight minutes long, I would tell you to shut up. And if you told me that after the eight minutes, I would like it, I would tell you to shut up and then punch you. And if you also told…
Laser (no, really) and Joni are the children of Nic and Jules. “Nic” without the “k” is because Nic and Jules are both female. The mothers visited a sperm bank a bunch of years ago, carefully selected Paul as their donor, and each used artificial insemination to give birth to a boy, now 15, and…
Fade in to a grainy, overexposed, black and white shot of a glistening sunrise reflecting off a river and into the camera. Slowly, both focus and color are added, enough that we see the river is rather muddy. On a bridge over the river is Tim (Joshua Miller), a 10-year old boy with disheveled hair…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love time travel stories. Déjà Vu is a very different time travel story, and I’m annoyed that I never saw it until seven years after its release. I definitely have to get out more often. Sailors returning from duty take a ferry headed for…
At this year’s Ebertfest, the one film I was looking forward to more than any was The Spectacular Now, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer) and directed by James Ponsoldt. It has been praised as the most realistic, teen/high school relationship movie you could ever expect to find, something that…
During the first 12 minutes of Argo, someone put a belt around my chest and pulled it snugly. Then about every 15 minutes, it was pulled another notch tighter. Although I had trouble breathing, it was a good thing. Seven Oscar nominations later, it was a great thing. Argo begins with a short history lesson…
Occasionally, you might watch a movie that doesn’t really thrill you, and you wonder why it earned so much chatter. Then, hours or the next day later, you’re still thinking about it until finally a piece fits, then another, and then another. Then you start to understand. That’s what happened with Drive, directed by Nicolas…
brainsnorts inc. 