Ian Gray (Michael Pitt) is a PhD student whose research is focused on the evolution of the eye. A confirmed atheist, he hopes his project will prove that the eye has indeed evolved through mutations and disprove once and for all the theory of Intelligent Design. Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan prize at Sundance,…
In a world grown cynical, decency stands out, but often only to be mocked and abused. In Georges Bernanos’ novel The Diary of a Country Priest, a sickly, humble, and idealistic young priest pays the ultimate price for the spiritual lethargy of his parish, while Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) in John Michael McDonagh’s brilliant…
Now this is something interesting from Fox Searchlight. It’s Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) and it tells the tale of a has-been actor desperate for a comeback. From the trailer, it’s clear he hasn’t taken his fall from the spotlight very well, battling with his own internal demons as well as co-stars (and…
Wes Anderson’s filmmaking fingerprints are distinctive, to say the least. His delicate touch is visible in every frame of his carefully constructed pictures, as if he’s built each cinematic world entirely with his own two hands. It’s impressive, but occasionally the result is too mechanically quirky for its own good. And it often feels like…
One man’s harrowing journey through a personalized hell has been the focus of each of Steve McQueen’s three features, but never has the metaphor been so effectively explored by the filmmaker as it is in his deeply moving fact-based drama 12 Years a Slave. McQueen’s penchant for precisely pointed perspective is applied again here, but…
Today, Fox Searchlight Pictures has released the trailer for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and yes, that is the sound of your brain going into quirk overload. Starring virtually every actor on Earth, the film follows the antics of a suave, well-connected concierge and his lobby-boy protégé as they swindle and romance the guests…
We’ve all seen at least a few coming-of-age summer films, and as a directorial debut for Nat Faxon and Jim Rash it certainly isn’t the most adventurous or original topic, but The Way Way Back is executed so wonderfully that it’s hard to find cause for complaint. It’s nostalgic without making you cringe (at least,…
