Showing Tag: " psychological" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: Unusually Attached to Mommy Die, Steve Loves to Mingle, Especially With Kyla

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 27, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Mommy

Directed By: Xavier Dolan

Starring: Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, and Suzanne Clément

I've said this a million times, but I love movies about crazy people. These are the kinds of films that feature immensely intriguing characters and offer loads of spontaneity. These are the kinds of films that tend to boast fuller, richer performances that resonate with me. It's one of the reasons I love Xavier Dolan's Mommy. The Canadian drama boasts some fascinating performances as Dolan navi...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: The Boy Next Door – A Surprisingly Entertaining Guilty Pleasure

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, January 24, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Boy Next Door
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Rob Cohen

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett, Kristen Chenoweth, and Ian Nelson

I may be a lone voice, but I actually enjoyed The Boy Next Door. Before you start hurling rotten tomatoes at my head in the “Comments” section, let me explain myself. I went into The Boy Next Door with low expectations. From the film’s trailer, it seemed reminiscent of Jennifer Lopez’s Enough. I was concerned that this would come across as a mo...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: An Ornithologist, Philatelist, & Philanthropist, Golden Eagle John du Pont Leads Wrestler Mark Schultz to Olympic Gold at the Foxcatcher Estate

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 23, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Foxcatcher

Directed By: Bennett Miller

Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Vanessa Redgrave

I don't know the story of John du Pont. I was just a kid when the multimillionaire wrestling enthusiast committed the heinous acts that made his name infamous. Not an Olympics enthusiast, I'm not terribly familiar with Mark or Dave Schultz either. Alas, the only gold medalist in the wrestling space with whom I'm familiar is Mr. Kurt Angle. I know. I should know more, but it mak...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: Thanks to the Lasser Glass in Oculus, Tim and Kaylie Confront Their' Bloody, Troubled Childhood Right in the Mirror

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 13, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Oculus

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Starring: Katee Sackhoff, Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, Annalise Basso, and Garrett Ryan

In the horror department, 2014 has some big shoes to fill. In the wake of a diverse slate of films back in 2013 including You're Next, The Conjuring, and The Purge, scary movie lovers rightfully have some pretty high expectations. Considering flicks like Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and Devil's Due, this year's entries into the genre have missed th...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: Popping Xanax Pills and Talking to Herself, Blue Jasmine Can't Get Past Her Past With Hal and That Fateful Song Blue Moon

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 3, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Blue Jasmine

Directed By: Woody Allen

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard, and Michael Stuhlbarg

"Anxiety, nightmares, and a nervous breakdown. There's only so many traumas a person can take ‘til they take to the streets and start screaming."
-Jasmine (Cate Blanchett)

It's that time of the year again. Woody Allen has another film out. However, that shouldn't come as a shock since the beloved director has been pu...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: In the Bloody Hypnosis Thriller Trance, Strawberry is the Word You Can't Forget

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 13, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Trance

Directed By: Danny Boyle

Starring: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, and Vincent Cassel

I rarely find myself in a guessing game while at the movies. You've got to be a really great director to keep me on my toes wondering what's real and who's got what agenda. There's no film in recent cinema history that does this better than Inception, but this doesn't mean that I shouldn't welcome worthy imitators. Once again, I find myself in a guessing game of sorts while watching Danny Boyle's latest...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: In Stoker, Both India and Charlie Put Dad's Belt to Bloody Good Use

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 17, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Stoker

Directed By: Park Chan-wook

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, and Phyllis Somerville

"He used to say, sometimes you need to do something bad to stop you from doing something worse."
-India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska)

With the indie box office back in full swing post awards season, all I've heard about is Oldboy director Park Chan-wook's latest thriller Stoker. With good will for Chan-wook and his strong cast, the film has had lots of buzz. ...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: With Murder, Insider Trading, & Conspiracy, Sleepwalking is One of the Milder Side Effects of Depression Drug Ablixa

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 9, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Side Effects

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Ann Dowd, Vinessa Shaw, Polly Draper, and David Costabile

In this first full week of February, I'm going to go ahead and declare it. Our January slump is over! We've been plagued with junk movies for weeks now, but that rough patch has finally come to an end. Some good movies are hitting theaters once again. The director up at bat this weekend is Steven Soderbergh, and he kn...

REVIEW: With Super Secret Handshakes, Earthworms, & Time Travel, Sound of My Voice Puts Its Own Spin on Cult Movies

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 13, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Sound of My Voice

Directed By: Zal Batmanglij

Starring: Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, and Brit Marling

Let's be real. Cults are for suckers. The weak-minded fools of the world believe any crap that their leaders spew, no matter how far-fetched it may be. They just go along believing in their "wise" leaders and taking their marching orders. That's what makes cult movies so interesting. We get to watch these fools in action or what we imagine them to be. Zal Batmanglij's Sound of My Voi...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: Gone is a Well-Intentioned Thriller on Crack

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 25, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Gone

Directed By: Heitor Dhalia

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, and Wes Bentley

Amanda Seyfried is one actress who is definitely on the rise. She has the talent to do great things in her career. She just hasn't had the right roles. Having been in films such as Dear John, Jennifer's Body, and Red Riding Hood, she hasn't exactly built a stellar filmography. Seyfried is so much better than the films she makes. Unfortunately, she's added another bad film to her résumé — Heito...
Continue reading ...

REVIEW: The Grey Is a Smart Movie, But It's Also Really Stupid

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 27, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Grey

Directed By: Joe Carnahan

Starring: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson, Nonso Anozie, and James Badge Dale

Attention everyone! It's that time of year for a kick-ass Liam Neeson B-movie, and no actor in the world wanted to go toe-to-toe with the famed Irish actor this time around. Liam Neeson has beaten the hell out of every human badass on camera and is now relegated to fighting wolves. Writer/director Joe Carnahan took a stab at bringing a wolf ...
Continue reading ...