Originally, I wasn’t going to write a review for Looper. Director Rian Johnson’s third feature (he’s made Brick and The Brothers Bloom earlier) came out worldwide a fortnight ago and has already been the subject of intense reviews, conversations, praise and dissections online. Adding to the ocean felt redundant. However, as the film drew to a close, I realized that I had relished the experience so much I wanted to go...

Wikipedia describes Dark Shadows as a “Gothic horror comedy-drama film.” If I could only meet Tim Burton once, I’d love to ask him which one (or two) of those words did he really want this film to be. I am trying, but I can’t recall any film in recent memory that is as much of an atonal nightmare as the latest collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Dark Shadows is their 8th film together (feels like a...

I find it hard to review a film like Safe. If it’s a movie I love, I can’t wait to sit in front of the screen and fashion a paean. If it’s a movie I dislike, then I like to write out my gripes with it and, often enough, they come easily too. If it’s a movie I have conflicted feelings about, then I find it an extremely rewarding exercise to articulate my thoughts as they help me come to terms with my stance. However,...

Film is a manipulative art form. The reason a director positions his actors in a frame in a particular way, makes them say some lines with a certain inflection and later has the scene scored to one specific piece of music is so that she can manipulate you to achieve her intended effect. And that’s okay. As an audience member, when I walk into any film I’m looking to be manipulated. Laughing, crying and being entertained are all...

The following article has NO spoilers for the movie in question. You may proceed without any caution whatsoever.   As evidenced by this interview (excerpts from which I’m going to quote in the review), Joss Whedon gets it. How do you take a green monster prone to rampage, a billionaire playboy with an overwhelming suit of armor, a serum-enhanced soldier who’s the epitome of earnestness and the Norse God of Thunder and cram...

Just how funny is 21 Jump Street? I first saw the film two weeks ago. Since then, not only have I seen it another time but I’ve also burst out laughing on numerous occasions just because I remembered some random line or gag from the movie. So, yeah: I’d say it’s very funny. The 1987 TV show (famous for making Johnny Depp famous, among other accomplishments) on which the film is based was an earnest and serious police...