movie reviews – Page 64 – Unhealed Wound

“Mud”– Channeling “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Written by diana on September 18, 2013. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound.

With its meandering pace, Mud embodies a Southern culture known for doing things slowly, drifting along the bayou languorously like “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” John Nichols, the director and an Arkansas native, grounds his film in authenticity through superb casting (including local teenagers), location, and a script centered on...

“We Need to Talk About Kevin”–The Bad Seed

Written by diana on August 20, 2013. Posted in movie reviews.

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” is an unforgettable portrait of the baby from hell, and as such this film may not be meant for a lot of viewers. Kevin comes into the world as a very difficult, “challenging” infant. The unconditional love between mother–Eva Khatchadourian (played to perfection by Tilda Swinton, a...

“Side Effects”–Warning: Contraindications

Written by diana on July 31, 2013. Posted in movie reviews. 5 Comments on “Side Effects”–Warning: Contraindications

“Side Effects” opens with Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum) being released from prison after serving a four-year sentence for insider trading. His wife Emily (Rooney Mara) is frail, severely depressed, and disinterested in Martin’s re-entering her life. Soon her world unravels as she becomes dependent upon a new, experimental...

“Shattered”–aka “Butterfly on a Wheel”

Written by diana on July 23, 2013. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Shattered”–aka “Butterfly on a Wheel”

This intriguing tale of vengeance is centered on a theme found in Alexander Pope’s Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot” (1735) in which placing undue effort on a minor issue is like breaking a “butterfly on a wheel”. And this first-rate thriller was so named in its British and Canadian release (2007), to be retitled...

“The Page Turner”–Notes to a Thriller

Written by diana on July 18, 2013. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “The Page Turner”–Notes to a Thriller

A French cinematic sleeper (2006), “The Page Turner” is a thriller as subtle as a sonata, fine-tuned and intricately composed. The story opens with young gifted pianist Mélanie Prouvost, the ten-year-old daughter of a butcher, methodically practicing for an entrance exam to a prestigious music conservatory. She and her parents have...

“The Great Gatsby”–Revisiting an American Classic

Written by diana on May 28, 2013. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 4 Comments on “The Great Gatsby”–Revisiting an American Classic

The new version of the F. Scott Fitgerald’s celebrated classic (1925) by Baz Luhrmann (of Moulin Rouge fame) has divided critics. Half of professional movie critics praised the movie, the other half panned it. There will be endless reinterpretations of a novel that has become burdened as a literary icon, the Great American Classic. Mr....