Cole Smithey - Reviews

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,...

Once Upon a Time In Anatolia

Cole Smithey — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:07:11 -0500

As a sociological study, the film is edifying. As a drama, it is at turns inscrutable, revealing, and moving. The cinema of Nuri Bilge Ceylon is a transformative one. It is unique and honest. Most significantly, it offers a rare experience to be treasured.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Cole Smithey — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:56:37 -0500

A Remake by Any Other Name David Fincher Takes One for the Team By Cole Smithey David Fincher can do a great re-make. Now, let’s hope he never does one again. By definition, remakes demand that audiences go back to the original to compare differences slight and large. I don’t put any credence in the faulty premise that a second film based on the same source material constitutes anything other than a remake. Indeed many...

We Bought a Zoo

Cole Smithey — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:25:57 -0500

Crowd-Pleaser Cameron Crowe Does the Thing He Does By Cole Smithey Cameron Crowe casts a heart-warming cinematic spell that will milk many a tear from its widespread target audience. However calculated to meet the demands of family-friendly holiday movie fare, "We Bought a Zoo" does everything it sets out to achieve. Some supporting characters, such as Patrick Fugit's zoo-keeper Robin Jones, get short shrift but it's all in the interest of keeping the potentially overpopulated...