Lincoln
Daniel Day-Lewis is the real reason to see Lincoln. He is without doubt the best actor on the planet. He doesn't act -- he becomes. All the portrayals of Lincoln…
Searching for Sugar Man
I have to say this movie is amazing! It is a documentary about an American musician who inspired a generation in South Africa to fight apartheid and was more popular…
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
Without doubt Ai Weiwei is the most famous Chinese artist on the planet. His art is thought provoking, but his life, even more so. The documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry…
Bernie
Whenever I see that a movie is "based on a true story" I wonder how little of said story actually made it onto the screen. With Richard Linklater's Bernie, the…
The Iron Lady
Meryl. I think she deserves to be known by one name by now. What an actress! What an amazing variety of roles she has played in the past few years:…
A Dangerous Method
Michael Fassbender has been one extremely prolific actor this year, first as the arrogant Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, then playing Magneto in X-men: First Class, then as the tortured…
J. Edgar
What a strange man, that J. Edgar Hoover! And yet – for nearly 50 years – he managed to wield tremendous power and influence as the controversial head of the…
The Conspirator
Seems I am destined to watch period movies centered on wronged women. My second of the weekend is Robert Redford’s The Conspirator, which tells the true story of Mary Surratt…
Mozart’s Sister
Pity the forgotten ones living in the shadows of the famous, the siblings who are mere footnotes in history. Who knew Mozart had a sister? Her name was Maria Anna…
Moneyball
Moneyball is a slam dunk - oh wait, make that a grand slam – for baseball buffs. For those who don’t particularly care for the business of baseball, the movie…
The First Grader
At times both heartwarming and heartbreaking, The First Grader is based on a true story. In 2002, the Kenyan government announced that primary education would now be free to all,…
Made in Dagenham
Working Chicks of the World Unite! And get yourselves down to the cinema. You’ve probably never heard of a woman named Rita O’Grady or the town of Dagenham, but if…
Exit Through the Gift Shop
What an oddly involving documentary! Exit Through the Gift Shop begins with a simple story. A Frenchman living in Los Angeles named Thierry Guetta loves to shoot video of everything…
The Fighter
Every once in a while a movie comes along that has a little something for everyone. I think The Fighter is one of those movies. In fact, I think it…
Conviction
‘Tis the season of movies based on real events. 127 Hours, Fair Game, Secretariat, and yes, Conviction - a movie that sets the bar for sibling devotion. Hilary Swank plays…