Daily Archives: December 18, 2013

“The Past” is a deliciously soapy French romantic mystery, a melodrama that gives that label a good name.It’s about divorce and the rippling waves of pain caused by it and the affair that precipitated it. And the more we learn … Continue reading →

All the various film awards and nominations are piling up at the same doorsteps this year, a monotonous drumbeat of “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity” acclaim. Those films, from “Dallas Buyer’s Club” to “All is Lost,” earn a new … Continue reading →

As Nelson Mandela, Idris Elba towers over the rest of the cast in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” That’s literally true and perfectly accurate. Mandela was tall, as is Elba (of the “Thor” movies and “Takers”). And Elba manages both … Continue reading →

King of quirky Spike Jonze sets out in search of the profound in his profoundly simply sci-fi romance “Her.” A “How I Met Your OS (operating system)” comedy, “Her” is a search for the essence of what we really want … Continue reading →