This psychological thriller sees Moll, a timid twenty-something, rebelling from her family by romancing danger. But “Beast” isn’t just a simple whodunit, moving beyond its premise as Peace peels back the layers of Moll’s own impulse toward destruction.
thriller
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Film review: “The Invitation”
Plenty of films have mined awkward dinner parties for the sake of laughs. Forced small talk, unwanted reunions, and the occasional clashing of personalities, all heightened by the presence of alcohol: it’s a situation ripe for uncomfortable comedy. But with “The Invitation,” director Karyn Kusama (“Girlfight,” “Jennifer’s Body,” and “Æeon Flux”) has something else in […]
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Film Review: “The November Man”
Whatever else the contemporary thriller accomplishes, the form strongly establishes the Central Intelligence Agency as major villains in the world of espionage and counterespionage. Over the decades, films as different as “Gorky Park,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” and most recently, “A Most Wanted Man,” to cite only a few examples, paint the Agency as thugs, torturers, […]
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Film Review: “A Touch of Sin”
In “A Touch of Sin,” Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke tells four individual stories, tangentially connected to one another. Each tale, based loosely off a real news stories from modern Chinese history, focuses on a random act of violence committed by some poor soul who has been pushed to his or her limit by the corruption […]
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Film Review: “Non-Stop”
Although it fits quite obviously into that broad, vague category of the cinematic thriller, the new movie “Non-Stop” actually contains an unusual combination of elements. It takes place almost entirely inside an airplane flying across the Atlantic from New York to London, establishing a setting and situation naturally fraught with a certain tension, even before […]
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“Black Nativity”
Every so often, movie-studio executives suddenly seem to wake up and realize that white people aren’t the only ones who go see movies, and that black audiences in particular are an underserved market. That results in periods like the current holiday season, which sees the release of a whopping three Christmas-themed releases targeted toward African-American […]
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“The Last Days on Mars”
Despite mostly skipping theaters and receiving a quiet release on Video On Demand, I had hopes that “The Last Days On Mars” might turn out to be an undiscovered gem. It has impressive production values, an audience-friendly, sci-fi thriller premise, a talented cast including Liev Schreiber, Olivia Williams, Elias Koteas, and Tom Cullen, and received […]
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Lost in space
(PG-13), directed by Alfonso Cuaron Now playing The digital revolution, with all its computer-generated images, optical wizardry, and wondrous special effects, now drives far too many filmmakers to produce the bloated blockbusters that rattle the cineplexes summer after summer. Far too often, mechanism substitutes for the traditional content of plot, character, and meaning. Now and […]
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Puppet masters
I should probably preface this review by saying that I don’t consider myself a Metallica fan. I have nothing against the 32-year-old metal band, mind you. I’ve just never actively followed the group. So take it as a ringing endorsement that, despite my relative indifference, I thoroughly enjoyed the band’s nutty but imaginative new concert […]
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Puppet masters
There’s a moment in “Enough Said,” the warm-hearted romantic comedy from talented writer-director Nicole Holofcener, when the knowledge that you’re watching one of the late James Gandolfini’s last performances becomes a bit overwhelming. Exactly when that moment comes will undoubtedly vary for you, but for me it occurred as his character goes on his first […]
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“Prisoners”
With the release of Denis Villeneuve’s chilly, David Fincher-esque procedural “Prisoners,” this year’s Oscar season has officially begun. Boasting several award-worthy performances from its A-list stars, a twisty plot, gorgeous cinematography, and an epic length, the film seems like exactly the sort of thing the Academy loves to reward. Still, the dark, often unpleasant subject […]
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“Ballin’ at the Graveyard”
Produced in Upstate New York, the documentary “Ballin’ at the Graveyard” posits that every city has one particular basketball court that everyone wants to play on, and functions as a hub in the subculture of urban pickup basketball. The film focuses on one such court, in Albany’s Washington Park, known as the Graveyard. Director Basil […]
