Much like its lead character, Concussion is a film slightly crippled by the fact that it refuses to let anyone inside, to figure out what’s really on its mind. The debut film from writer-director Stacie Passon has a novel concept, no doubt, but the execution is more reminiscent of snapshots of a person’s life, beautiful on the surface, with too little going on underneath.
Jack the Giant Slayer Directed by Bryan Singer Written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, and Dan Studney USA, 2013 Perhaps it’s fitting that a literal tug of war is pivotal in Jack the Giant Slayer, a large-scale blockbuster retelling of the famous fairy tale about Jack and the magical beanstalk. The film itself appears to …
Over the last decade and a half, much has been made in critical circles about the “coming of age” of dramatic television programming. Since The Sopranos began to become a cultural touchstone, HBO has been a central part of that discussion, with some broadly suggesting that its most beloved dramas – particularly The Sopranos (1999-07), …
Lincoln Directed by Steven Spielberg Written by Tony Kushner USA, 2012 The American political system is hopelessly fractured. Its legislators are viciously divided on how to govern the nation. The president, about to begin his second term in office on a groundswell of grassroots public support, is either too much or not enough of a …
The Sessions Directed by Ben Lewin Written by Ben Lewin USA, 2012 Sometimes, all a movie needs to be even moderately successful is great acting. Though The Sessions (a big hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival under its original name, The Surrogate) has a compelling nugget of a plot, what makes it powerful is …