Review: “Declaration of War”
By Kyle | January 27, 2012
I hate dying-kid movies but France’s “Declaration of War” isn’t one, despite the gravely ill child at its center, and it has a verve and spirit to it. My review is up.
Topics: Movies | No Comments »
Review: “The Grey”
By Kyle | January 27, 2012
I liked the Liam Neeson adventure “The Grey,” although it isn’t as good as “The Edge” or “Runaway Train.” My review is up.
Topics: Movies | No Comments »
Richard Dawkins: Obama Probably an Atheist
By Kyle | January 25, 2012
So says the eminent non-believer. They way Obama singles out people who “have no faith at all” as worthy of respect (as though intolerance of atheism is some sort of issue) makes me think he is indeed an atheist. I predict that after his presidency, he will reveal that he is one. Perhaps at some point he will also reveal that the reason he never rebuked that idiot preacher Jeremiah Wright was because he hardly ever went to that kind of church (nor any other) in the first place. He pretended to have done so because he had to pander to the Spike Lee/Malcolm X/Bobby Rush demographic when he was trying to get elected to Congress, but you can’t say that. The Wright thing never bothered me much.
Topics: Barack Obama | 7 Comments »
Has Oscar Jumped the Shark?
By Kyle | January 25, 2012
My take on the Oscar noms in today’s Post.
Topics: Movies | 3 Comments »
Oscar Race: C’est Fini
By Kyle | January 24, 2012
The Oscar nominations were kind of a bore, with everything in place for “The Artist” to sweep the top honors. Certainly I think it will win Best Picture and Director. I also think it’ll win Best Actor for Jean Dujardin. Best Screenplay? Could very well go to Woody Allen for “Midnight in Paris.” Best Actress will be Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady.” Since “Hugo” had the most nominations overall — 11 to 10 for “The Artist” — I guess you could consider it a spoiler. Perhaps Scorsese has a shot at Best Director.
Somewhat suprising was that “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” got a Best Picture nomination despite getting hammered by some major critics and getting an overall Rotten Tomatoes score of 48 percent, by far the worst of any Best Picture nominee. The Artist is at 97 percent, Hugo at 94, The Descendants 89, War Horse 78, The Help 76, Midnight in Paris 93, Moneyball 95, The Tree of Life 84.
I’m glad there was love for:
Demian Bichir, who gave a quietly devastating performance as a Mexican landscaper in one of the year’s most affecting movies, “A Better Life.”
“The Tree of Life.” This is as artsy a film as has ever been nominated for Best Picture but it’s well deserving. Even if you think you might hate it, you must see it. (And I say that as someone who hated Terrrence Malick’s “The New World” and was unimpressed by “The Thin Red Line.”)
Good taste: J.Edgar, an embarrassing, mawkish, wretched disaster featuring a howler of a performance by an unbelievably inept and hammy Leonardo DiCaprio wearing some of the worst makeup I’ve ever seen in a major production, got zero nominations as I predicted the day it opened.
I predict record-low ratings for the Oscar telecast because “The Artist” isn’t doing well at the box office and is going to be, in real dollars, one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners ever. It will do better than “The Hurt Locker.”
Topics: Movies | 2 Comments »
And Next Year’s Best Picture Might Be…
By Kyle | January 24, 2012
Lou has the scoop on an amazing Sundance find that sounds a bit like “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” or “My Left Foot.”
Topics: Movies | No Comments »
Sundance a Fizzle?
By Kyle | January 23, 2012
So says Roger Friedman. Excitement seems to be building around Richard Gere’s film “Arbitrage.” I’m finding it difficult to get excited about another attempted Spike Lee comeback, though. I doubt the man is suddenly going to become talented in his 50s, though I have no doubt critics will climb all over each other in an effort to out-praise one another. Sayeth Lou of Lee: “Lee’s latest colorful portrait of life in Brooklyn has a special focus on the role of the black church in a community under fire from gentrification, asthma, AIDS and unemployment.” Danged gentrification! A horror right up there with AIDS! Wait a sec — gentrification and umemployment? At the same time? Never mind. My senior colleague is posting reviews by the dozen over at the Post’s movie blog. Which means, I guess, that I’ll be writing the Oscar nominations story tomorrow. Let me guess– “The Artist” will get lots of nominations?
Topics: Movies | No Comments »
A Nation of Moochers
By Kyle | January 22, 2012
Charles J. Sykes’ book about how the political system is looted by the middle, upper and lower classes, “A Nation of Moochers,” is the subject of my Sunday column today.
Topics: Books, Politics | No Comments »
Saddest Press Release of the Day
By Kyle | January 21, 2012
Apparently the Manhattan Libertarian Party Convention is today. Who knew? Gary Johnson sent out a press release containing this line:
The convention will be held at the Ukranian East Restaurant, 140 2nd Avenue New York, NY., and the candidates’ forum is expected to begin at 12:30 p.m.
Rumors that you could fit all of Manhattan’s libertarians in a phone booth are apparently untrue, though.
Topics: Politics | 4 Comments »
Review: “Miss Bala”
By Kyle | January 20, 2012
Mexico’s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film race, “Miss Bala” is an intriguing noir with an immensely self-assured director. My review is up.
Topics: Movies | No Comments »