Weblog » Tags » thoughtprovoking (all)

  • Michael Clayton

    It seems passivity is the enemy here, and there's enough of it to spare in Michael Clayton, a law thriller that uncoils gradually, and reveals suddenly. Everyone has the 'whoops' factor tied around their little f…

  • The Visitor

    The Visitor is a abashed statement movie, like Hans-Christian Schmid's Requiem or Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, that really needs an open mind to operate (the latter didn't really work for me, because science reasons…

  • Requiem

    When it comes to rating movies, how should a film like Requiem be treated? Taken as entertainment, it is horrible- the viewer waits, sickened by the inevitable conclusion, but when it comes it is still like a po…

  • The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

    "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is about a regular kid- not a child prodigy, not particularly wise beyond his years. The only thing that separated him from the willfully blind adults who surround him is that…

  • Lymelife

    "Lymelife" is a coming-of-age story in the most discomforting sense, a portrayal of one young person having their trust broken down, then being assigned with the even more difficult task of moving on. It is the…

  • Spanglish

    James L. Brooks' "Spanglish" is told via voice-over by Christina, who is in college and given the task of writing a report on the most influential person in her life. That would be her mother, she says, and the res…

  • All the Little Animals

    British filmmaker Jeremy Thomas made his debut with this adaptation of Walker Hamilton's novel. A young Christian Bale, in his pre-Batman days, was cast as Bobby, who is mourning the death of his mother. Bobby narr…

  • Transamerica

    "Transamerica" is a perfect example of a departure from the norm- it will leave some people cheering, some more conservative people feeling sick to their stomachs, and others scratching their heads, knowing they ce…

  • The Life Before Her Eyes

    Based on the novel of the same name, written by Laura Kasichke, "The Life Before Her Eyes" is a seriously depressing drama about the harsh aftereffects of a high school shooting, concentrating on the relationship…

  • The Butcher Boy

    A Gut-wrenchingly bleak adaptation of Patrick McCabe's acclaimed novel of the the same name,"The Butcher Boy" chronicles the unhinging of adolescent Francie Brady. At the start, we are told by the now-adult Francie…