Three Kings – 1999

David O. Russell knows comedy. He understands how it works and what is necessary to sustain it, but he also understands when it shouldn’t be the central focus. His war comedy film Three Kings takes a bad situation and puts a comedic spin on it, as four soldiers discover a map to hidden gold in […]

The Big Sick – 2017

True stories are always better in the movies. The real story is never quite as interesting or as succinct. There has never been an occasion where the real story had to be toned down so the film wouldn’t be too interesting. Kumail Nanjiani is both one of the writers and the star of this film, […]

Jerry Maguire – 1996

There is no argument that Tom Cruise is a good actor. He isn’t the most likeable guy, but his talent is clear. Jerry Maguire is a feelgood movie about a sports agent who suffers a crisis of conscience. There is a lot to love about this film: the dialogue, the romance, the unchecked ego, but […]

The Descendants – 2011

In my ongoing love affair with Alexander Payne, I have just watched The Descendants. George Clooney gives one of his finest performances as Matt King, a husband and father whose wife is dying. He lends humor to a role that shouldn’t be funny and makes sympathy into something that seems hard to come by. The […]

Sideways – 2004

Paul Giamatti is a sad sack. Maybe not in real life, but he plays one extremely well, Sideways is no exception. Directed by, the always masterful, Alexander Payne, Sideways is the story of two men on a week-long wine tasting in California before one’s upcoming nuptials. Obviously, there are tons of things that happen between […]

Mustang – 2015

Sometimes you can feel that something is going to go wrong in a movie. Mustang is the story of five teenage (mostly) girls who are trapped in their house after their oppressive grandmother and uncle decide they have disgraced the family. Eventually the girls are set up in arranged marriages since wives is the only […]