Is a film more or less powerful because it’s true or not? I was emotionally unprepared for the impact of “Escobar: Paradise Lost,” which isn’t as much a film about Pablo Escobar as it is a film about the effect he had on those around him. It’s a gripping story that manages to create characters […]
The Connection has the thrill of the chase, suspense, two brilliant calculating minds pitted against one another, and awe, as it becomes more and more clear how broad the involvement in illegal activity extends up to high levels of government and across geographical space. It also shows the value of persistence and belief in oneself
By all accounts, True Story should have been a gripping, taught trifecta of brilliant performances. After all in the previous two dramatic films (The Wolf of Wall Street, Moneyball) comedian Jonah Hill landed him Oscar nominations. True Story is director Rupert Goold’s first feature and the first film for Felicity Jones post Theory of Everything
Following in the footsteps of “Philomena” or “Erin Brockovich”, “Woman in Gold” delivers a powerful story about injustice that dates all the way back to the Nazi’s. “The past is asking something of the present”. Based on the incredible true story, Helen Mirren returns to fill the role of the bossy tight lipped female as
McFarland USA, from director Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country), is far better than I ever expected from a Disney film. What looks from the trailer like another inspirational sports film, this time centered on cross country, is far from it. McFarland USA is about just what the title says it is: an unheard of
Spare Parts may look slightly like an after-school special, mostly due to the inexperience of the writers, based on an incredible true Wired magazine article. H
Director Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere) will very likely make history in 2015 as the first African American female to be nominated for best director in the Academy Awards history. DuVernay will only be the 5th woman ever nominated in that category. It’s probably an insignificant trivia fact for some, but it’s one more example
Winning the Toronto International Film Festival award proved to be a good omen for 12 Years a Slave, The Kings Speech and Slumdog Millionaire, as they went on to win best picture at the Academy Awards. The Imitation Game is based on the extraordinary true story of mathematician Alan Turing, whom Winston Churchill acknowledged contributed
This has been an incredible year for black history in film, and another beautiful film joins that welcome cluster. Director Just Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) is no stranger to historical pictures, and while his Mandela picture isn’t the sleekest and well rounded piece of cinema, it’s still a beautiful telling of an amazing story
What appeared to me like a light hearted “human interest” story, as the film refers, is actually full of heart and quite emotional when it gets down to it. Philomena is based on an extraordinary true story that is partly worth telling due to the type of circumstances one just can’t make up. Oscar winner