Fair Game Movie Reviews. All Critics (169) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (134) | Rotten (35) | DVD (4) This isn't a message movie, per se, but a strong point of view comes through regardless: In the battle of principles vs. politics, politics always win.
An absorbing, unhysterical thriller that largely rejects the clichés of the genre. The blind-siding of Valerie Plame wasn't fair and wasn't a game, but this cinematic outcome is a touchdown for true patriots. Fair Game" is such a brutal and personal testimony to the consequences of dirty politics that it often feels too ugly to be true. Unfortunately, it is. For every spycraft scene, every illustration of the deadly blowback from the leak that Liman dramatizes, the movie has half a dozen scenes of a delicately balanced home life turned on its head by a government bent on destroying one of its critics.
Naomi Watts settles for semi-inscrutability while Penn, engaging as he is, is encouraged, particularly toward the end, to deliver his performance from the lectern. Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (L'ennemi public n1) Movie Reviews. All Critics (85) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (70) | Rotten (15) | DVD (1) Yes, he was a bad guy; but what a great story.
His violent, pathetic end makes you sad not for the man but for a world in which such a creature could exist -- and thrive. You needn't have seen the first chapter to be swept up in this swirl of bloodletting and braggadocio. Director Jean-Francois Richet and screenwriter Abdel Raouf Dafri's movie generates much heat, but little light. Jacques Mesrine's end may be inevitable, but he certainly doesn't bore us along the way. [It] doesn't dig deeply into why Mesrine was the way he was. Once again Casell is phenomenal in the role and turns the film into a compelling and gripping ending to an epic gangster flick. Part 1 remains marginally compelling, if for no other reason than that it sets the table for the vastly superior Part 2. The only recent gangster film this one falls short of is "Killer Instinct," the first half of the epic.
September 7, 2010. Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster Movie Reviews. All Critics (26) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (2) | DVD (6) One of the highest-grossing films in Hong Kong history, but it doesn't add much to the crowded history of martial-arts movies.
"Ip Man 2" has eye candy to spare. But it is lacking in formalities such as character development and plot coherence, and the stereotyped Brits are straight out of central casting. Director Wilson Yip keeps the movie moving as fast as the whiplash action. The film's fight choreography is again handled by the legendary Sammo Hung - he also now has a supporting role and incredibly shot his own fight scenes while recuperating from heart surgery - and that alone makes the film worth checking out. "Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grand Master" is distinguished by a string of stylishly choreographed martial-arts combat scenes, though barely serviceable in its storytelling. A redundant if nonetheless occasionally thrilling follow-up bolstered by star Donnie Yen's precision combat skills. Bruce Lee lives!
Somewhere Movie Reviews. All Critics (179) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (127) | Rotten (51) | DVD (8) It seems impossible that this heavy-handed, self-serious movie comes from writer-director Sofia Coppola.
The best movie directors aren't just masters of technical craft: They also are artists capable of showing you the world through their eyes -- of making you see and feel exactly what they do. Coppola is brilliant at capturing mood: With cinematographer Harris Savides, her languid camera depicts California melancholy. But substance isn't her game. If you're impressed by the fact that this won the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival, go look up the price of a flight to Venice. There's no denying Coppola displays great understanding of wealthy ennui in Somewhere.
"Somewhere" is a distinctly European exercise in observational nuance and tonal restraint in which Coppola stretches static images to the breaking point. Unflinchingly honest and confidently challenging, this is an all around incredible film. The Way Back Movie Reviews. The King's Speech Movie Reviews. All Critics (240) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (226) | Rotten (14) | DVD (13) A powerful back story does not necessarily improve a movie, but The King's Speech has a pretty irresistible one.
It might even end with a dramatic night at the Oscars in February. In The King's Speech, Colin Firth once again reminds us of what a great actor he is. Classic, rousing entertainment loaded with both humor and poignancy. February 16, 2013 The King's Speech is the rare work of art that's also an immense crowdpleaser. Too ingratiating to resonate deeply. The King's Speech is simultaneously cozy and majestic. Call it a glossy inspirational inversion of Pygmalion, or a sports flick for those who prefer royals to athletes, but there's no denying the universal appeal of director Tom Hooper's tastefully wrapped package. The King's Speech features a fantastic, awards courting performance by Firth and is also brilliantly written, resulting in a surprisingly tense and very entertaining watch. Rabbit Hole Movie Reviews.
RABBIT HOLE is a vivid, hopeful, honest and unexpectedly witty portrait of a family searching for what remains possible in the most impossible of all situations.
Becca and Howie Corbett (NICOLE KIDMAN and AARON ECKHART) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. While Becca finds pain in the familiar, Howie finds comfort. The shifts come in abrupt, unforeseen moments.