Month: January 2012

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the kind of film we rely on the British to make, since Hollywood often seems incapable of producing movies that don’t constantly explain themselves to the viewer, like we are six-year-old children. Indeed, at the screening I attended, I heard more than a few whispered conversations as people tried to follow what was going on. You might call that poor storytelling, but I call it a lack of patience brought on by years of Hollywood coddling. This is a film that definitely rewards the patient viewer.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-movie-review/

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continues director Guy Ritchie’s efforts to turn the famous consulting detective into an action hero. But the more Holmes is moved in that direction, the more he moves away from the things that make the character who he is. Thus, while the sequel is fairly entertaining, it’s not as good as the first, and nowhere near many of the other stories in the Holmes canon.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows-movie-review/

The great power of film is its ability to draw the viewer into a lifelike world, which is one of the best arguments for seeing movies on a big screen – when the picture fills your vision, it has that much more effect. While War Horse does pull you in with impressive visuals and a moving story, problems in the adaptation undercut the experience by continually reminding how artificial this world is.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/war-horse-movie-review/

Director Steven Spielberg has spent nearly 30 years trying to bring The Adventures of Tintin to the big screen. The popular comics by Belgian artist Hergé have a worldwide fan base, but more so in Europe than in North America, which may limit the film’s appeal on these shores. Lack of knowledge of these stories should not deter you from seeing this movie, however. More than just an excellent family film, it’s an action-adventure on par with some of Spielberg’s best work.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-adventures-of-tintin-movie-review/