Movie Reviews
Titles starting with A
The Animation Show, Volume 1
- Mt. Head. (Atama Yama.) Koji Yamamura. See 75th Annual Academy Awards Short Films.
- Brother. Adam Elliot. Claymation. A sweet and silly little rumination on the film-maker’s brother, who died at a ... Read more »
Anna Karenina
I was a little surprised to realize that, of the 29 versions of this story listed at the IMDb, I had seen approximately … none of them. Not being much of a reader of classic Russian novels, I don’t even know the story. So I came to this with no preconceptions, except I knew the costumes would be gorgeous.
And they are, probably well over a thousand of them (Oscar for Costume ... Read more »
Anne With and E
I, of course, have never read the book, it being a girls’ book, but I think I missed a good one. The story is of an older brother and sister living together who decide to take in an orphan boy to help with the chores on their Prince Edward Island farm. Through a mix-up, Anne is delivered instead. Naturally they send her back, but they weren’t counting on the ... Read more »
Annie
Every now and then there is a movie idea so stupid it should have been aborted in the womb. Hey, let’s remake that musical about the little girl with the empty eyes and the one red dress. Let’s update it to the 21st century, and let’s have Annie be black. (Not a bad idea in itself, but there’s more!) Let’s change Daddy Warbucks to a cell phone mogul named Will Stacks. Let’s re-write the ... Read more »
Annie Get Your Gun
The star of this show bears little resemblance to the real Annie Oakley, who was a remarkable woman, but what musical comedy has ever striven for accuracy? I think we can all be thankful that Ethel Merman didn’t repeat her stage role (I’ve got nothing against Ethel, ... Read more »
Annie Hall
(OLD REVIEW) This is the turning point for Woody Allen. Before, he wrote and directed some of the funniest movies ever made: Take the Money and Run, Bananas, Sleeper, and Love and Death. After, he was likely to do any sort of movie. I’m a big, big fan of the funny stuff (in Read more »
Annihilation
What with the breakneck speed of so many movies these days, I’m always a little hesitant to complain because a film is too slow. But this one creeps along like a grandfather snail. Scenes that ought to breeze by at a normal clip are dragged out twice as long as they should be. There is an interrogation of Natalie Portman, who appears quite traumatized. A question is asked. Long pause. A ... Read more »
The Anniversary Party
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming co-wrote and co-directed this multi-character study of people in the film business, and they seem to have enlisted most of their friends. It’s a fabulous cast, including Read more »
Anomalisa
There’s not much in this world that is truly unique, but you would think puppets making love would be one of them. No, that dubious honor goes to Team America: World Police, by the creators of South Park. But those were obviously marionettes, with actual strings. The couple here is fairly realistic, for stop-motion animated characters. ... Read more »