His recent work in film displays quite an impressive versatility for the very active and generally underrated Matthew McConaughey. In “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Magic Mike,” and “Killer Joe,” for example, he plays extremely different characters — a slick defense attorney, a sleazy strip club owner, a soft-spoken, polite hetman/deputy sheriff. His latest picture, “Dallas Buyers […]
docudrama
Posted inMovies
“Captain Phillips”
Based on an account by the title character and more important, on recent events, “Captain Phillips” confronts some compelling contemporary issues in both subject and method. To begin with, the picture belongs to that increasingly popular genre, the docudrama, which shows actual events in a somewhat fictionalized form, like the Iranian hostage crisis in “Argo” […]
Posted inMovies
“Fruitvale Station”
Arriving laden with prizes from the usual festivals, “Fruitvale Station” demonstrates once again the relevance of the small, independent films shoehorned into the narrow space amidst the noisy blockbusters, witless comedies, and insipid chick flicks that clog the summer screens. Along with such documentaries as “Capitalism: A Love Story,” and “The Tillman Story,” and a […]
Posted inMovies
“Renoir”
Whatever the complications and challenges in making any motion picture, films about great artists, especially in the graphic and plastic arts, should really make themselves. Beyond the inherent interest in the life of a particular famous person, the sheer process of creation holds its own fascination, and above all, the images themselves provide a rich […]
