February 7, 2011: The Way Back With an Oscar nomination for its makeup, I was compelled to see The Way Back this month, but I wanted to see it anyway. An interpretation of the true-life story of a group of prisoners of war during the second world war who escaped from a prison camp in […]
February 6, 2011: Alice in Wonderland The combination of Disney and Tim Burton seems to result in something tremendous to look at, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. With his usual muses Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter on board, Burton gives us his odd take on the Lewis Carroll story, a warped […]
February 4, 2011: Salt I had considered watching Salt but might not have bothered immediately if not for the Oscar nomination for Sound Mixing. Angelina Jolie seems to be starring in ever more unlikely thrillers and actioners, and Salt pushes the boundaries of plausibility far past anything the viewer can reasonably be expected to forgive, […]
February 2, 2011: Unstoppable I watched Unstoppable, technically, because of its Oscar nomination for Sound Editing, but I was interested in seeing it before that nomination forced my hand. On the surface it was likely to be simply another hyperactive and overwrought Tony Scott action film, but it reviewed well during its theatrical run and […]
February 2, 2011: Groundhog Day With a snow day declared in Toronto and the whole family home for the day on February 2, was there really any option other than to watch Groundhog Day? This 1993 Harold Ramis film depicts Bill Murray re-living the same day over and over again, without any idea of what […]
February 1, 2011: The Fighter How do you know when or whether someone has recovered and is ready to be trusted again? With some people, there’s a question of whether they can or will ever again be worth taking a chance on. The Fighter, based on a true-life story, illustrates how families wrestle with that […]
January 31, 2011: True Grit (2010) I watched the original True Grit (1969) just before seeing this Coen brothers remake, and then I saw the original again afterwards. My first viewing of the remake made the original improve in my mind, and the re-watching of the original improved it even more. This remake has its […]
January 31, 2011: Winter’s Bone There was plenty of buzz about Winter’s Bone as Oscar season approached, although the film was relatively unknown at the time. A surprise Best Picture nomination among the newly expanded field of 10 has undoubtedly been a boon for this little film, and further nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting […]
January 26, 2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Following my viewing of the first Harry Potter film out of interest in the storyline, since then I’ve typically only seen them when Oscar nominations force me to do so. Art Direction and Visual Effects this year led me to see Harry Potter and […]
January 26, 2011: Tangled I saw Tangled because of its single Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. It had reviewed OK so I wasn’t dreading the experience, so I trotted off to the nearest multiplex to see it in 3D. It turns out to be totally formulaic but well enough done to stand with the […]