Cole Smithey - Reviews

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Cole Smithey — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:18:38 -0500

Though hampered by some uninspired efforts in the joke department from newbie cousin screenwriters Brian and Mark Gunn, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a passable PG-rated family adventure movie.

The Woman in Black

Cole Smithey — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:41:05 -0500

“The Woman in Black” possesses a purity of purpose. Its goal is to seduce the audience into a supernatural realm of somnambulist existence with the power of suggestion.

Rampart

Cole Smithey — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:52:18 -0500

A melodramatic riff on the "Bad Lieutenant" corrupt cop theme that Abel Ferrara so eloquently nailed down for all eternity in 1992, "Rampart" is the blemished work of writer/director Oren Moverman and famed crime author James Ellroy.

Albert Nobbs

Cole Smithey — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:55:02 -0500

”Albert Nobbs” is an uncompromising and rigorous movie that dismisses conventional compositional devices to the delight of audiences seeking intellectual and emotional depth in their cinematic adventures. Don’t miss “Albert Nobbs.”

The Grey

Cole Smithey — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:17:48 -0500

“The Grey” is an old-fashioned survival movie in the vein of John Huston’s 1956 version of “Moby Dick.” The glory of the adventure comes from what lies buried deep within the psyches of its personalities, and branded in their facial expressions.

Haywire

Cole Smithey — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:34:03 -0500

Proof positive that Steven Soderbergh can make a shamelessly fluffy action thriller, "Haywire’s” trump card is the estimable abilities of mixed-martial-arts-fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano.

The Iron Lady

Cole Smithey — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:34:25 -0500

Profiling Thatcher Phyllida Lloyd Plays it Safe By Cole Smithey Between Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar Hoover biopic and director Phyllida Lloyd's ill-told life story of Margaret Thatcher, it might seem on the surface there's a concerted effort to lionize two of the Right's most reprehensible examples of absolute power corrupting absolutely. On closer inspection however, each of the films reveal latent hypocrisies in their political subjects. Both movies feature iconic performances from enormously talented actors...

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Cole Smithey — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:09:45 -0500

All Talk Lynne Ramsay Can’t Commit to Horror By Cole Smithey Forced, stultifying, and artificial beyond belief, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is Scottish director Lynne Ramsay's off-key treatment of Lionel Shriver's novel. Ramsay co-wrote the screenplay with brother-in-law Rory Kinnear. The story is about a bad-seed son who terrorizes his mother Eva (Tilda Swinton) from the minute he's born. Unsure of whether it wants to be a cynical drama or a horror thriller,...