Film
Among the important things the filmmakers get right — the elemental pissiness of a scene that is far smaller than it is envisioned by the narcissists who once occupied it.
We do feel Charles Dickens’s heart tenderly beating, swept away by Nelly Ternan’s poised beauty, and it’s touching in an almost Chekhovian way, his being smitten by a love which can only bring sorrow.
An annual gathering of superb new animation from around the world. This year’s standouts include “Oh Willy…” from Belgium and “Virtuoso Virtual” from Germany.
Evaluating actress Judi Dench is akin to watching a great athlete do a high dive or land a difficult jump on ice skates. She nails it so often that you half expect a row of judges to hold up cards with nothing but 10’s on them.
In “A Touch of Sin,” four depressing stories float into one other, all said to be based on news stories from Chinese papers.
Is “Her” exploring truths about romance and emotional need? Or is this a creepy look into how far we’ve surrendered to the infantilizing embrace of technology?
The most unfairly maligned film of the year: Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor.” The most overrated movie of the year, which gave me a mammoth headache: “American Hustle.”
Bravura performances are provided by all involved, making Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” quite possibly the best film of the year.
Movie Commentary: Handicapping the Oscars
The nominees for Best Picture are a deserving lot, except for “The Wolf of Wall Street,” which is a bloated mess of a movie that is an hour too long .
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