Once is billed as a modern-day musical. But forget about big casts and dance numbers. It’s “musical” in a literal sense: simple, singer-songwriter offerings tell a slice-of-life story about two…
For young people growing up in China, the American dream is as bright as a supernova. A chosen few accepted to our universities attain status, freedoms, and wealth unimaginable back…
A good documentary, while engrossing, can be a bit of a downer. Planet B-Boy, the first by director Benson Lee, is a rare find within its genre. You get a…
Finishing the Game, a comedy directed by Justin Lin and written by Justin Lin and Josh Diamond. Starring McCaleb Burnett, Monique Curnen, Roger Fan, Sung Kang, Mousa Kraish, Meredith Scott Lynn, and Dustin Nguyen.
Predictability could be the biggest pitfall of the comedy genre. Finishing the Game wins by keeping you guessing. A slew of colorful characters spar at each other and mug for the camera in documentary style.
The Last Winter is a sci-fi/horror film starring Ron Perlman, James LeGros, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford and Kevin Corrigan. Directed by Larry Fessenden.
Playing as a cross between John Carpenter’s The Thing and An Inconvenient Truth, Larry Fessenden’s The Last Winter imagines the dawn of an environmental apocalypse at its origin, a remote outpost in the ANWR province. However, after a strong opening and some disturbing moments, the film starts to go slightly downhill, culminating in an ending that is both disappointing and incomplete. I was left waiting for a big payoff that never comes.
Control is a biography of the life of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. Starring Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Tony Kebbell and Alexandra Maria Lara. Directed by Anton Corbijn
Although I had heard of Joy Division, I am not a fan and was not familiar with their songs. I was, however, aware of the band’s cult following and knew of the short, tragic life of lead singer Ian Curtis: on May 18, 1980, the day before the band was to go on its first US tour, Curtis hanged himself in his estranged wife’s kitchen. He was just 23 years old.
City of Men is a crime drama starring Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Camila Monteiro, Rodrigo dos Santos. Directed by Paulo Morelli.
City of Men is the sequel to the universally praised 2005 film City of God, a film that I have, unfortunately, not yet seen. Like many sequels, I got a strong sense from this film that the filmmakers were assuming the audience had seen the first film (such as assuming the audience already knows the back-story of some of the key characters). However, City of Men can stand on its own as a fine, poignant film and it does make me want to view its acclaimed predecessor.
Chop Shop is a drama starring Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales, Ahmad Razvi, Carlos Zapata and Bob Sowulski. Directed by Ramin Bahrani.
I am amazed how much this deceptively simple film moved me. For a brief 84 minutes, I felt as if I was simply observing the life of a 12 year old orphan and his sister. Yet, without any sensationalistic camera tricks or plot contrivances, I found I cared deeply about them and this feeling stayed with me, long after the film was over.
Control is a biography of the life of 
City of Men is a crime drama starring Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Camila Monteiro, Rodrigo dos Santos. Directed by Paulo Morelli.
Chop Shop is a drama starring Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales, Ahmad Razvi, Carlos Zapata and Bob Sowulski. Directed by Ramin Bahrani.
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in Baz Lurhmann's highly-anticpated drama, 'Australia.'