Category Archives: Drama

The Imitation Game

Posted on January 12, 2015 by filmstruck

I envy the people who will watch Benedict Cumberbatch for the first time in The Imitation Game. There may well be very few such people left in 2014 – because we seem to be in the Cumberbatch phase of human … Continue reading →

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Frank

Posted on August 28, 2014 by filmstruck

I’m in two minds about this movie. On one hand, its delightfully quirky and features some powerhouse performances from Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson. On the other, it seems to perpetuate the idea that mental illness is somehow linked to … Continue reading →

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Only Lovers Left Alive

Posted on August 26, 2014 by filmstruck

This is a film about vampires, but its so far away from the genre that it defies it altogether. Its a mood piece, a film to fall into headlong and revel in its exquisite visual artistry, uber cool soundtrack and … Continue reading →

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Inside Llewyn Davis

Posted on April 18, 2014 by filmstruck

I watched this on an airplane, and for once I think the small flickering screen in the uncomfortable intimacy of a cramped, dimly lit airplane cabin made the film that much more melancholic and atmospheric. Llewyn Davis is a good-but-not-great … Continue reading →

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All is Lost

Posted on February 11, 2014 by filmstruck

The comparisons are inevitable. This is Life of Pi without the tiger. This is Gravity, only Murphy’s Law plays out on sea instead of in space. Its The Old Man and the Sea, only here its really just the old … Continue reading →

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Gravity

Posted on January 31, 2014 by filmstruck

The real star of Gravity is not George Clooney as the veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski, or Sandra Bullock as space rookie Ryan Stone. Not even Ed Harris as the disembodied voice of Houston Control. The real star of Gravity is … Continue reading →

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12 Years a Slave

Posted on January 30, 2014 by filmstruck

One more powerful performance, another story about the cruelty of slavery in America’s past, an efficient Michael Fassbender, yet another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance from Benedict Cumberbatch, and an odd Brad Pitt cameo. 12 Years A Slave has all the ingredients, and … Continue reading →

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August: Osage County

Posted on January 29, 2014 by filmstruck

We’ve all had some family gatherings which were awkward and uncomfortable. I’d like to think, however, that some of my family gatherings are a tremendous amount of fun – cousins meeting after ages, reliving memories, howling with laughter at some … Continue reading →

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Blue Jasmine

Posted on January 28, 2014 by filmstruck

Not one of Woody Allen’s more whimsical attempts, Blue Jasmine still invokes some recurring Allen themes – the NYC intelligentsia, the dinner parties, the swift give and take of witty dialogue, the characters who seem insulated from harsh realities. Only … Continue reading →

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Dallas Buyers Club

Posted on January 27, 2014 by filmstruck

I can’t say Dallas Buyers Club is the best movie I’ve seen in a while. But it features two of the best performances this year. Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto are searing in the movie, undergoing a transformation profound both … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Drama, Oscar Nominee | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments