SPOILER ALERT!
This Week's Film Reviews by the Critics at The Arts Desk
In this week's film reviews, The Arts Desk's writers give their verdict on Steve McQueen's latest film, Spielberg's new epic offering, along with the week's top DVD releases.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
SPOILER ALERT!
This Week's Film Reviews by the Critics at The Arts Desk
In this week's film reviews, The Arts Desk's writers give their verdict on Steve McQueen's latest film, Spielberg's new epic offering, along with the week's top DVD releases.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
SPOILER ALERT!
This Week's Film Reviews by the Critics at The Arts Desk
In this week's film reviews, The Arts Desk's writers give their verdict on Steve McQueen's latest film, Spielberg's new epic offering, along with the week's top DVD releases.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
This Week's Film Reviews by the Critics at The Arts Desk
In this week's film reviews, The Arts Desk's writers give their verdict on Steve McQueen's latest film, Spielberg's new epic offering, along with the week's top DVD releases.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
One of the most keenly-anticipated of recent movie releases is Steve McQueen's second feature film and second collaboration with actor Michael Fassbender (the initial being the much-lauded Hunger), but Shame left Sarah Kent by 50 percent minds: partly admiring and partly rather angry. It's the uncompromising story of your New York sex addict, whose life seems, at first glance, to stay control until his needy, damaged sister Sissy (played by Carey Mulligan) arrives. Fassbender is extraordinary as Brandon, a male who creates his very own prison by replacing any form of intimacy with soulless sexual exploits, and the film is beautifully shot by McQueen, whose credentials just as one artist are evident. But Kent found the characters cliched, and with the much-publicised sexual content, they merely served to strengthen negative gender stereotypes. It left Kent wondering who the film would appeal to other than predatory teenagers and porn addicts.
Federico Veiroj's black-and-white homage to Uruguayan cinema, A Useful Life, can be a considerably more sedate affair and packed full of atmosphere, says Tom Birchenough. Played out by non-professional actors, the film tells the story of Jorge, who lives and breathes the Cinemateque in Montevideo by which he works but is prompted to discover a world outside it once the venue's future is threatened by closure. A sensitive, understated fable of the film, it deserves the overused accolade of small gem.
Matt Wolf, however, found just the opposite qualities in War Horse, a motion picture that treads a fine line between awe-inspiring epic spectacle and eye-rolling cheesy sentiment, out of the box perhaps expected of an Steven Spielberg movie. The film, adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by way of a highly successful stage show, tells of young Albert that is lead in to the First World War looking for his beloved horse Joey. The script and performances were mostly standard fare; it absolutely was the battle scenes where Spielberg clearly felt most in your own home, delivering the impressive set pieces that lifted the movie out of the banal. At two plus a half hours though, Wolf found the movie over-long, plus more to the level, he previously dry eyes at the end of it.
Whereas Margin Call, though a somewhat low-key and low-budget movie, is both well-written and extremely timely, based on Jasper Rees. The feature debut from JC Chandor targets the brutal and destructive money games of Wall Street just as the crash is going to hit, and despite being made with a shoestring, it possesses a stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore and Jeremy Irons. Chandor constitutes a brave try and humanise their characters inside a subtle and melancholic check this out callous world.
Of the week's DVD releases, Adam Sweeting selected Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's classic spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for special mention, praising it due to the pitch-perfect depiction of 1970s Britain and Gary Oldman's Oscar-worthy performance as mole-hunter George Smiley, while Jasper Rees recommended just one more superlative Danish drama, now Susanne Bier's powerful examination of violence, In a Better World.
And finally, อนิเมะ provides its trusty and fully updated directory recommended films to determine, including a brief synopsis and critique plus a connect to the entire review for every film, that may help you plan your New Year cinema-going.
