Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Romance
Run Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emery Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Fiona Glascott Based on the book by Colm Toibin Screenplay by Nick Hornby (Wild, An Education, About a Boy) Directed by John Crowley (Closed Circuit, Is Anybody There?, Boy A, Intermission) They just don't make 'em like Brooklyn(opening today) anymore. Set in late 1950s Brooklyn and Ireland, Brooklyn looks and feels like an old-fashioned movie, in the most complimentary of ways. It is a tale of romance, all the while romanticizing the era, New York City and the American immigrant experience itself. It is based on the award-winning 2009 novel of the same name, by Colm Toibin.
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Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Romance
Run Time: 2 hours 5 minutes, Rated R Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Eloise Mumford, Luke Grimes, Victor Rasuk, Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Ora Based on the novel by E.L. James Written by Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks) Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) So where to begin? If you haven't yet heard anything about E.L. James's erotic mega-successful best-seller, "Fifty Shades of Grey," well then, you probably live under a rock, or perhaps spend too much of your time handcuffed to a bedpost in someone's "playroom." It is a raunchy, explicitly-written book that has been criticized for amateurish prose, despite capturing the minds (and hearts?) of millions of women around the globe. When it was announced that every woman's guilty pleasure was going to be made into a movie, each and every detail of its production and casting became headline news, with legions of fans scrutinizing and over-analyzing each tidbit. Finally, this Valentine's Day weekend (opening today, in fact), the big-screen adaptation has arrived. So...curious, inquiring minds want to know: Was it good? Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Romance
Run Time: 1 hour, 24 minutes, Rated R Starring: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, David Cross, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, Richard Kind, Polly Draper Co-Written & Directed by Gillian Robespierre (feature film directorial debut) Who knew a film about abortion could be so funny? Fired from Saturday Night Live after only one season (2009-2010), comedian Jenny Slate went on to find a good deal of success in the entertainment business, but never the kind that raised her to household name recognition. While the content of the romantic comedy, Obvious Child (opening today), will most likely keep it from finding any real mainstream success, it acts as a showcase for Jenny Slate not only as a comic, but as an actress. Remember her name. Rating: 5 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Romance
Run Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe Directed by Josh Boone (Stuck in Love The Fault in Our Stars (opening today) doesn't aspire to be conventional. The film even begins with our main character, Hazel (Shailene Woodley) telling us that real-life is not like it is in the movies...you can't just brush over the realities of life with a Peter Gabriel song. But if you've seen one teen romance movie, you've seen them all, right? If that's your current stance, then brace yourself. The Fault in Our Stars is a beautifully acted, smartly written, gem of a film that not only defies expectations, it reshapes them. The film cuts much deeper and is way more insightful than many might initially give it credit for, especially since it is aimed directly at the young, Twilight-worshiping, female audience...the kind of movie-goers who unapologetically show up at theaters in gaggles, to hoot, holler and swoon over the eventually-shirtless male lead, despite the depth of the story Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Crime, Romance
Run Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes, Rated R Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Til Schweiger, Rupert Grint, James Buckley, Vincent D'Onofrio, Melissa Leo, Aubrey Plaza Written by Matt Drake (Project X) Directed by Fredrik Bond (feature-film debut) Shia LaBeouf stars in the title role in Charlie Countryman (opening today), a film that was originally titled, "The Unnecessary Death of Charlie Countryman" when it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this past year. Apparently, an annoying narrator (voiced by John Hurt) was removed and other changes were made, but this new incarnation still feels quite unnecessary. Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Romance
Run Time: 2 hours, 59 minutes, Rated NC-17 Starring: Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux Adapted from the comic book "Le Bleu est une couleur chaude" by Julie Maroh Co-Written & Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche (Black Venus, The Secret of the Grain, Games of Love and Chance, Poetical Refugee) It will be mighty challenging for American audiences to latch on to Blue Is the Warmest Color (opening today). First of all, it has been given the NC-17 rating, a well-deserved classification. Add to it, it's a slow-moving romance that is three-hours long. Lastly - and not that I like this, but it's the truth - being a French import, the sub-titles will also keep people away. Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Run Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Keri Russell, JJ Field, Jennifer Coolidge, Bret McKenzie, Georgia King, James Callis, Jane Seymour, Ricky Whittle Based on the novel of the same name by Shannon Hale Co-written by Shannon Hale & Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, Gentlemen Broncos) Directed by Jerusha Hess (Feature-film directorial debut) Austenland (opening today) is based on the 2007 novel of the same name, by author Shannon Hale. It is a story that's reverent to the legendary author, Jane Austen, whose stories - books like Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice and Emma - are considered classic works of literature. These books are universally-loved and undoubtedly appeal to women of all ages, so it is no surprise that many of her novels have been re-created as TV shows and movies for over 60 years. Many of these stories feature relatable, strong female protagonists that find romance and heart-break in 19th century Britain. Rating: 5 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Run Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes, Rated R Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Masam Holden, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nicci Faires Directed by James Ponsoldt (Smashed, Off the Black) 2013 has been quite a year for the "coming-of-age" movie. Some of the year's best films - Mud, The Kings of Summer and now The Spectacular Now (currently in theaters) - all deal with themes of growing up, finding love and/or discovering some hard truths about what it means to become an adult. Of these three films, The Spectacular Now may be the most layered and unexpected, featuring two of the best performances of the year by two of Hollywood's brightest shining stars. Rating: 5 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Romance
Run Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes, Rated R Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julia Delpy Written & Directed by Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Dazed and Confused, The School of Rock, Bernie, A Scanner Darkly) It's impossible to discuss Before Midnight - the follow-up to the 1994 film Before Sunrise and its sequel, the 2004 film Before Sunset - without revealing certain plot points. So, spoiler alert! The following review of Before Midnight (opening today) contains some plot spoilers and revelations. Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Romance
Run Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki, Joel Edgerton Based on the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald Co-Written & Directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Australia) Look here, old sport: The latest film version of The Great Gatsby (in theaters now) falls short of greatness. But that's not to say that it isn't good, it's just weighed down by an eccentric director who just can't help himself. |
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