Gerald Peary
The big BSFC winner was “12 Years a Slave,” which beat “The Wolf of Wall Street” for Best Picture, Best Director (Steve McQueen), and Best Actor (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Read More“Le Joli Mai” is serious and sober, a bit of a downer, climaxing in a lengthy interview with a dullard union official about why he supports the French Communist Party.
Read MoreJennifer Lawrence has blossomed into a charismatic screen presence in her gala return as Katniss, the beloved bow-and-arrow heroine of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”
Read MoreThe first half of “The Broken Circle Breakdown” is directed in the most conventional way. In the better second half, the leads dig deeply into their characters, sing bluegrass wonderfully.
Read Moreem>Historic footage—from newsreels, TV stations once-live coverage, from several investigating commissions- has been edited, brilliantly into a coherent, important political film.
Read MoreThis is one fine neo-noir, expertly directed by Ridley Scott with a host of superlative star turns from Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, Javier Barden, Penélope Cruz, and Brad Pitt.
Read MoreI Used to Be Darker is a movie of small pleasures, lots of them.
Read MoreMexico’s Alfonso Cuarón is among the world’s finest, most versatile filmmakers, and someone who—knock on wood!– hasn’t yet directed a dud. GRAVITY is quite OK too, but in the second tier of his work.
Read MoreMother of George has garnered a rarer-than-rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics. Sorry to be the cynical spoiler.
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Film Commentary: A Contrarian View of “12 Years a Slave”
Why haven’t more movies been made about American slavery? Hollywood studio racism is certainly a prime factor; but even for determined anti-racists, there’s also the aesthetic problem of creating a compelling film drama.
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