Matthau should get points for allowing himself to be filmed as such an unlikable cuss, and Vic Morrow, as usual, is just short of psychotic.

i’m thinking of ending things is a lawless movie, made up of one memorable scene after another, none of which are restrained by any storytelling edicts—anything goes, and it goes.

On its own terms, Departures is a thing of rare and remarkable beauty.

Hammer has the mechanics of a hard-edged noir thriller, which work startlingly well, but it’s clear that Sparkes’s heart, and therefore the film’s, is centered on the distressed familial relationships.

Beautifully filmed and incorporating interviews and impressive archival news footage, Pray Away digs deep into the pathology of fundamentalist Christian conceptions of reparative therapy. By showcasing survivors of the “ex-gay” movement and illustrating the personal tragedy that has resulted from individual involvement, the film provides a lens of hope for those who think there is none.

Go see this movie. Take your pre-teen who’s going through an awkward phase to see it (if you let them watch stuff with bad language and underage drinking, I should say). Or if you were a kid who came of age in the actual mid 90’s, this will give you an aching nostalgia for your youth.

Through countless interviews with whistleblowers, historians, and people who have survived Agent Orange, the filmmakers craft a searing portrait of unchecked government oversight and corporate greed at the expense of people’s lives.

Two Women showcases the rampaging wit of expert writing with the jaw-dropping technique of expert directing.

It’s a fitting tribute to Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse and makes you long for a time when storytelling was someone just telling a story.

It is exciting in ways you cannot imagine and must be seen to be believed.

The acting is subdued, nothing over the top, but captures a realism not normally seen in the bigger-budget films.

The movie is set up to pull the heartstrings, and it’s very effective at doing so. You care for the characters and what happens to them, and you leave the film wanting to know more.

The film explores themes of free will, destiny, and the tales that we consume while also revealing how they become part of us as we pass them down to future audiences. Ultimately, however, Three Thousand Years of Longing is about bearing the weight of pure love with no one willing to ease the burden — yet resolving to give it away freely nonetheless.

The Argument winds up being either the most horrifying funny scriptwriting workshop ever, or a really f***ed up version of Groundhog Day. Either way, an exact-science blend of tight scripting and a strong ensemble cast make this film a new comedy gem.

If nothing else, Into the Wild is a beautiful film. Penn meticulously shot in the actual locations McCandless visited, and Eric Gautier's cinematography is breathtaking, many scenes are framed in such a way as to almost Hirsch entirely, further emphasizing how solitary his trek actually was.

Lee is beautiful, daring, and elusive, as all great art should be. It’s a fitting tribute to a woman whose work exhibited the same qualities.

Ultimately, Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life is a very good first film for Covert. It’s a high watermark to start a feature film career on. I look forward to what he and his team do next. Seek this out as soon as possible, it’s a truly fantastic experience.

I thought I might have seen everything I needed to see about neo-Nazi skinheads in "Romper Stomper" and "American History X". Not only was I in for a surprise, but newcomer Ryan Gosling gives every bit as stunning a performance as did Russell Crowe and Ed Norton in those two films, and then some.

First-time writer-director Serry shows a remarkable gift for storytelling with this moving, effective little film.

This is a long-overdue must-see that sets the record straight for a woman whose whole life was glossed over in favor of a more camera-ready tabloid romance.

In the end, the greatest achievement of Control Room may be to simply remind us, as Americans, that in this age of mega-corporate U.S. news media there are other perspectives on world events besides those of Fox, CNN, MSNBC-ABCBS and whoever else feeds us our information.

The Brink Of is a darn good film. The cast is great, and the songs are even better. What more does one need from a dramatic musical romance?

The battles are bloody and gory, and the set pieces are absolutely massive in scale.

To be clear, it’s not for everybody. The sense of humor required for this film falls somewhere between Maron and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Be prepared to cringe a lot and laugh nervously. Leave your decency at the door.

Some moments are a bit corny, such as subliminal messages coming from a tape played backward. However, I find the spin that writer/director Daniel Farrands puts on one of the most gruesome murders in history, will make all who see The Haunting of Sharon Tate examine the Tate murders, and maybe our own lives differently.

Despite some fictionalization, it is a brutally honest take on the deep-rooted, orthodoxical ideals and their fatal outcomes.

Casino Royale is quite possibly the best action movie of the year.

The video footage is demented, hysterically funny, and supremely dark. In presenting Carson’s antics and dissecting his style as a presenter, A Life on the Farm provides a horror-tinged giggle fest.