Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 66
December 28, 2015
Reviews of “Christmas, Again” and “Lamb” on “Hammer to Nail”
Happy Holidays! I wrote two reviews for Hammer to Nail last week, on Christmas, Again and Lamb. Enjoy!
December 25, 2015
“Carol” is a Marvel (and Perfect Holiday Treat)
Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015) I have read two books by Patricia Highsmith – The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train – both of which I found thoroughly unsettling (or, less formally, they creeped me out). Highsmith has a way with vivid detail that allows her to plunder the depths of human despair and depravity and make […]
Three Christmas Misfires: “Joy,” “The Danish Girl” and “Daddy’s Home”
I was all ready to give each of the movies, below, a full review, but then holiday travel got in the way, and I realized that they none of them deserve the effort, despite the (misguided) attention that Eddie Redmayne has been getting for one of them. Here are my very brief takes – one-paragraph […]
December 23, 2015
“The Big Short” Is a Terrific Romp Through Financial Disaster
The Big Short (Adam McKay, 2015) What is it about Michael Lewis? He’s an author of nonfiction bestsellers whose books keep on being optioned for fiction films (not counting Next: The Future Just Happened, an actual documentary): first came The Blind Side, then Moneyball and now The Big Short. Lewis is a great journalist and an excellent writer, […]
December 20, 2015
My review of John Magary’s “The Mend” on “Hammer to Nail”
I had another review published at Hammer to Nail last week, of John Magary’s The Mend. Check it out. Here’s the link.
December 18, 2015
The Force Is with Rodricks and Reed: “Roughly Speaking” on “Star Wars”
On today’s edition of Dan Rodricks‘ Baltimore Sun “Roughly Speaking” podcast, we discussed the new Star Wars film and its place in the overall legacy of the now 7-episode saga. Here is the link. I come on at around 11 minutes. There’s other good stuff on there, too, including information on the William Porter trial and a great book review by […]
In “Sisters,” Amy and Tina Are Definitely Doin’ It Just for Themselves
Sisters (Jason Moore, 2015) With my deepest apologies to Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin, but Sisters, the new film from Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) – starring frequent partners Tina Fey (“30 Rock“) and Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation“) – exists as a vehicle for the two veteran comic performers to get together and hang out with their friends: in […]
The Pleasures of “Youth” Are Fleeting
Youth (Paolo Sorrentino, 2015) Italian director Paolo Sorrentino – winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2014 for his marvelous epic The Great Beauty – is back with a new film, his first in English, entitled Youth. It shares many themes with its predecessor – aging, nostalgia for the past, the importance of art and […]
December 16, 2015
A Rousing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (Mostly) Shakes Off the Prequel Snooze
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams, 2015) Approximately halfway through the new Star Wars, when Han Solo and Princess – now General – Leia meet for the first time in this film, they proceed to tell each other (for our benefit), everything that has happened since we last saw them, 32 years ago, in The Return of […]
December 15, 2015
“Macbeth” Creeps in Its Pretty Face
Macbeth (Justin Kurzel, 2015) If Mel Gibson (director/star of Braveheart) and Nicolas Winding Refn (director, Drive) met, bonded over mutual admiration of Shakespeare and had a love child, it might look like this new Macbeth. Gibson, of course, knows how to stage a battle or two and is the master at making his protagonist (often himself) suffer masochistic slings […]
