American Hustle
This farcically dark dramedy is a fictionalized (and sensationalized) imagining of what might have gone on behind the scenes in the real-life Abscam scandal that resulted in seven U.S. congressmen being convicted of bribery in 1981.
A Madea Christmas
I’m not really buying the “whole family” fun line, not with 100+ profanities, among other coarseness.
Inside Llewyn Davis
Despite its angsty pretensions, Inside Llewyn Davis remains merely a story without a destination, a bleak portrait of a bleak man’s bleak life on a self-absorbed road to nowhere.
Out of the Furnace
Entertainment? Not a lick. Inspiration? All burned up by the fire. Only loss and despair are left.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
The movie, as generous as it is with Mandela’s legacy, does not shy away from those uncomfortable truths. Nor does it turn away from the horrific violence perpetrated against him and his peers.
Philomena
Inspired by a true story (both onscreen and in real life), a world-weary journalist helps a simple, elderly Irish woman look for her baby taken from her 50 years before.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
To live in a country like Panem would stink. Really. It’s a horrible place, and lots of horrible things go on in this story about it. But it’s a fictional reality that serves as a backdrop for sacrifice and heroism.
Delivery Man
A funny thing happens on the way back from the sperm bank … when a guy finds out he’s the father of 533 children. A poignant thing too. (And a crass thing.)
Nebraska
There’s gold in them thar Nebraska hills. That’s what Woody thinks when he receives a Mega Sweepstakes Marketing mailing promising him a million bucks. (But this movie isn’t about money. It’s about dignity and family and legacy.)
The Best Man Holiday
Engaging with The Best Man Holiday feels like watching two totally different movies back to back.