Blue Jasmine
What if Bernie Madoff was a younger, better looking man who left behind a beautiful yet clueless wife to fend for herself? That's the basic premise of Woody Allen's latest,…
Elysium
Set in the year 2154, Elysium is a hero's tale about one simple man saving the world's poor from the evil grips of the moneyed elite. The über-rich have moved…
Fruitvale Station
You know from the opening of Fruitvale Station that it is going to end very badly. Based on a true story, it begins with what appears to be cellphone footage…
The Hunt (Jagten)
The Hunt is not a happy movie. And it is a story I feel like I have seen before, though it is all in the telling. The draw here is…
In the House (Dans la maison)
In the House is one of the more enjoyable films I have seen lately. It is described as a thriller, which leads you to believe it is more serious than…
Free China: The Courage to Believe
This shortish documentary (61 minutes) tells the story of two people living on opposite sides of the earth who were both persecuted for their belief in Falun Gong, a modern…
What Maisie Knew
What Maisie Knew is a pretty faithful modern adaptation of a Henry James novel written in 1897, that just goes to show that there have always been people who shouldn't…
Frances Ha
Poor Frances. At the ripe old age of 27, nothing in her life is going right. Her boyfriend wants her to move in, but she can't run out on her…
No
Academy Award nominee No is another film based on a true story, but what makes it remarkable is that this story changed history. It takes place in Chile in 1988,…
The Iceman
The Iceman is based on the true story of a psychopath who led a double life. On the one hand, he killed people for a living for the mob. On…
Stories We Tell
Stories We Tell begins as a fairly straightforward documentary about a mother who died young and the family that has a lot of stories to tell about her, but it…
Take This Waltz
Take This Waltz is one of those indies that I kept thinking might have a different sense of pace and was maybe just going to take a bit of breath…
Mud
Mud is a fairly straightforward adventure/coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old boy's struggle to understand love and romance, while aiding and abetting a lovelorn criminal. Matthew McConaughey plays a fugitive named…
Trance
Danny Boyle is one of those wonderful directors who isn't satisfied in sticking with one genre, which is fine since he happens to be great at so many different kinds…
Ca$h
Two of my favorite Frenchmen are in this movie: Jean Dujardin and Jean Reno. And it just proves that The Artist was not a fluke. The camera does love Jean…