A character study of a family going through a divorce in Brooklyn in the early 80’s. The film takes on the challenge of treating all four characters fairly while still conveying the pain caused by the others. There is a little unevenness, but it’s still impressive how well it does. Referred by Sean

I’ll admit, I just wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Ang Lee does get some mileage out of the gay cowboy taboo, and the movie conveys some appreciation for what the experience of it might be like. As a love story I only halfway bought it, I’m not sure why. As a…

The great thing about this coming-of-age flick is how it sets up the same cliché plot structures you might expect for the genre, then just leaves them uncompleted when the next twist comes along. On the way it also hits many modern issues with spot-on satire. Feel the pain of characters attempting to change themselves,…

A spare film that takes away nearly all the glitz we’re used to in movies. The actors were picked from Ohio valley locals, and they improvise much of the dialogue. The heart of the film is an effective human story, and that’s all it needs. I welcome this relief from overdone movies. Referred by Celluloid…

This film offers a glimpse into the lives of children in a Calcutta red-light district, and follows the filmmaker’s attempts to rescue some of them from it. The frustration she encountered when she attempted to film or photograph there led her to teach photography to some of the children, which provided a small doorway through…

On Father’s Day Dad and I kick back to finish off the trilogy. Once again, the extended version does nothing but enhance the film with more character development. The battles are still long, of course, but the interludes that keep you identified with the characters involved make them far more gripping. I still have gripes…

Reminded me a bit of Pride and Prejudice, only instead of the prize going to the one who marries the richest nobleman, it goes to the one who gets the highest bid for her virginity, and can thus buy herself out of slavery and perhaps even inherit the brothel. The drama plays out more or…

If you, like me, had forgotten about the dire shortage of existential comedies in the world, this will provide a most refreshing reminder. More fun than a barrel of nihilists at an NRA pajama party. Referred by DougieB

I all but forget I have a body sometimes, and even though I inhabit it 24/7, it’s mostly a mystery to me. I know some crude anatomy, but mostly it comprises a vague model of “stuff that’s in there.” My grandfather, a plastic surgeon, used to dazzle me as a child with the long, strange…

The Weather Man is the embodiment of the worst kind of small talk, the completely insincere patter of denial in which we coax each other into avoiding any real, meaningful interaction. Basically we see what happens when the Weather Man accepts being small, and thus his small talk becomes sincere. For such a short story…