If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
Frances is trying to make it as a dancer in New York. When her best friend gets involved in a serious relationship, begins to unravel. The awkwardness of the characters, especially Frances, and the things they do is painful to watch. But it is in these poignant moments that Noah Baumbach's ability to give his characters life. He reveals the humanness of the characters replete with flaws and gaffes and missteps. Visually, this film is beautiful. It is obviously an homage to the black and white era, but beyond the mere novelty of this, the film itself is wonderful.
Frances Ha dances its way to 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writer: Noah Baumbach,
Greta Gerwig
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner,
Adam Driver
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic:82%
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012)
I'm the undisputed champion of the world!
When two adult estranged brothers get together at their mother's home for a weekend birthday celebration, old controversies arise. The brothers, who held a do-deca-pentathlon when they were in high school to decide who would be the champion of the world still dispute the results. I love these kinds of films. DDP's fly-on-the-wall style of filming makes you feel like you're there with the family. This sneak peek into brotherhood and family life is both humorous and poignant.
A real champion in its own right, Do-Deca-Pentathlon gets 3.5 out of 5 Poblanos!
When two adult estranged brothers get together at their mother's home for a weekend birthday celebration, old controversies arise. The brothers, who held a do-deca-pentathlon when they were in high school to decide who would be the champion of the world still dispute the results. I love these kinds of films. DDP's fly-on-the-wall style of filming makes you feel like you're there with the family. This sneak peek into brotherhood and family life is both humorous and poignant.
A real champion in its own right, Do-Deca-Pentathlon gets 3.5 out of 5 Poblanos!
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Metacritic: 60%
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
This can't be happening to me
Ron Woodroof is a hard living heterosexual Texan who unwittingly contracts AIDS. Upon finding out that he has the virus, he is told that he has 30 days to live. Among his friends and neighbors, becomes an outcast. Set in the mid 1980s during when AIDS was considered a homosexual disease, the story shows how far a man will go to keep living as well as how much a person can change. The strengths of this film are many, but the story (based on the real life Ron Woodroof) and the acting (stellar perfromances by McConaughey and Leto) are what make this film great. Can anyone say Oscar?
Dallas Buyers Club gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Writer: Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 84%
Ron Woodroof is a hard living heterosexual Texan who unwittingly contracts AIDS. Upon finding out that he has the virus, he is told that he has 30 days to live. Among his friends and neighbors, becomes an outcast. Set in the mid 1980s during when AIDS was considered a homosexual disease, the story shows how far a man will go to keep living as well as how much a person can change. The strengths of this film are many, but the story (based on the real life Ron Woodroof) and the acting (stellar perfromances by McConaughey and Leto) are what make this film great. Can anyone say Oscar?
Dallas Buyers Club gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Writer: Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 84%
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Oblivion (2013)
S.S.D.D.
Jack and Victoria live on a post-apocalyptic earth which had been devastated by alien invaders. Everyday Jack does his job as a patrolman and mechanic. When a mysterious ship lands on earth, Jack learns secrets that he was never supposed to learn. Tom Cruise does a good job in his role, although his performances rarely vary from role to role. Speaking of playing the same role, Morgan Freeman is a great actor, but I honestly get tired of seeing him in pretty much every other film playing almost the same type of character. There had to be someone less cliche and more suited for this role than him. However, for a big budget Hollywood sci-fi film, Oblivion is a respectable crossover of the 'alien invasion' and 'post-apocalyptic' genres.
With more than enough mystery, action, and suspense to be interesting, Oblivion gets 3.5 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writer: Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt, Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
Metacritic: 54%
Jack and Victoria live on a post-apocalyptic earth which had been devastated by alien invaders. Everyday Jack does his job as a patrolman and mechanic. When a mysterious ship lands on earth, Jack learns secrets that he was never supposed to learn. Tom Cruise does a good job in his role, although his performances rarely vary from role to role. Speaking of playing the same role, Morgan Freeman is a great actor, but I honestly get tired of seeing him in pretty much every other film playing almost the same type of character. There had to be someone less cliche and more suited for this role than him. However, for a big budget Hollywood sci-fi film, Oblivion is a respectable crossover of the 'alien invasion' and 'post-apocalyptic' genres.
With more than enough mystery, action, and suspense to be interesting, Oblivion gets 3.5 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writer: Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt, Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
Metacritic: 54%
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Doesn't quite make the cut
A dog-napper dognaps a gangster's dog. Mayhem ensues. Actually the rest is slightly more interesting.than that, but not by much. It felt a lot like a Tarantino or Guy Ritchie rip off. It wasn't clever enough, didn't have enough plot twists, and no real element of surprise. Overall, not a bad movie, but neither is it a great one.
Seven Psychopaths gets a very sane 3 out 5 Poblanos!
Director: Martin McDonagh
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Starting: Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Olga Kurylenko (Skyfall, Oblivion)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 66%
A dog-napper dognaps a gangster's dog. Mayhem ensues. Actually the rest is slightly more interesting.than that, but not by much. It felt a lot like a Tarantino or Guy Ritchie rip off. It wasn't clever enough, didn't have enough plot twists, and no real element of surprise. Overall, not a bad movie, but neither is it a great one.
Seven Psychopaths gets a very sane 3 out 5 Poblanos!
Director: Martin McDonagh
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Starting: Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Olga Kurylenko (Skyfall, Oblivion)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 66%
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
To the Wonder (2012)
You spin me right round baby, right round
Neil and Marina are in love. Then they're not. And there's a priest. And some twirling around. Like every other Terrance Malick film, this one is gorgeously shot. It is atmospheric and fluid. Sadly, it is also tedious and boring. About halfway into it, I was already wishing it was over. Don't get me wrong, I am big fan of Terrance Malick and think he is brilliant. Lots of pointless twirling, an overdose of voice overs, and not much story cause this one to fall way short of Malick's past masterpieces.
I usually don't quote other critics' reviews, but I came across two reviews that sum up the film really well, so I couldn't resist. Michael Posner called it "a project that veers perilously close to self-parody." Another review from John Anderson, likened the film it to a perfume commercial.
Disappointingly, To the Wonder only gets 2 out of 5 Poblanos!
Neil and Marina are in love. Then they're not. And there's a priest. And some twirling around. Like every other Terrance Malick film, this one is gorgeously shot. It is atmospheric and fluid. Sadly, it is also tedious and boring. About halfway into it, I was already wishing it was over. Don't get me wrong, I am big fan of Terrance Malick and think he is brilliant. Lots of pointless twirling, an overdose of voice overs, and not much story cause this one to fall way short of Malick's past masterpieces.
I usually don't quote other critics' reviews, but I came across two reviews that sum up the film really well, so I couldn't resist. Michael Posner called it "a project that veers perilously close to self-parody." Another review from John Anderson, likened the film it to a perfume commercial.
Disappointingly, To the Wonder only gets 2 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Terrence Malick
Writer: Terrance Malick
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
Metacritic: 58%
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