Tag Archives: drama

Gravity (2013)

Posted on May 31, 2014 by rorydean

Despite the overwhelming positivism, both in reviews and ratings and award show gold, “Gravity” suffers from the same nausea ad infinitum that often relegates it to little more than a snappily dressed carny barker inviting the wanderer to navigate the tent poles of what will become a scattered visit to theater of the absurd. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie I've Seen, Movie Makers & Shakers, Movies You Should or Should Not See, My Review of Their Review:, On DVD, Online, philosophy and film, Rants & Raves | Tagged 2013, above the line, alfonso cuaron, asteroid movie, CGI space drama, children of men director, Christopher DeFaria, Dr. Ryan Stone, drama, ed harris, effects-driven storytelling, Emmanuel Lubezki, epic, Film, george cloooney, gravity, Jonás Cuarón, Mark Sanger, Mathew Arnold, Matt Kowalsky, movie review, practical movie reviews, rory dean, sandra bullock, sci-fi, shuttle, space, spacewalk | 11 Comments

Killer Joe (2011)

Posted on January 19, 2013 by rorydean

It is Friedkin’s mannered pursuit of the macabre in his 2011 socio-pathetic amorality tale Killer Joe that elicits gut wrenching contractions, disarming the viewer to uneasy laughter that feels wrong for all the wrong reasons. The collateral damage does not end right away but lingers like nuclear fallout to poison all those who come after. Killer Joe excels at depravity for the sake of sick humor, blanketing terror in makeshift excuses that, because the real is strained through an excess of absurdity, bad judgment and dumb decisions are rendered palatable, even socially accessible when they are anything but. Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, Essays on art, Essays on Film, Movie I've Seen, Movie Makers & Shakers, Movies You Should or Should Not See, My Review of Their Review:, On DVD, Online, philosophy and film, Rants & Raves | Tagged above the line, corrupt law, drama, Emile Hirsch, Friedkin, Gore Vidal, Joe, Juno Temple, Matthew McConaughey, mel gibson, passion of the christ, play to the screen, porch light confessionals, practical movie reviews, rory dean, sadistic stories, Schadenfreude, stage play, Stoning of Soraya M, Tracy Letts, trailer park wastelands, William Friedkin | 5 Comments

Crazy, Stupid Love (2011) Blu-ray

Posted on June 15, 2012 by rorydean

Crazy, Stupid, Love is decisively straight forward and surprisingly well-mannered for a film about the turbulence of people in love and the collateral damage of romance. That’s where the filmmakers ultimately succeed, gathered around familiar heartache with their characters, sharing the collective bumps and stumbles of Crazy, Stupid, Love. Continue reading →