Month: January 2012

Margin Call ****

Unlike Charles Ferguson’s Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job that made your blood boil at the sheer gall of the games played financial institutions and leading persons involved, ex-Merrill Lynch employee and writer-director J.C. Chandor’s new thriller, Margin Call, serves a token of sweet torment on the money-grabbing scoundrels that kicked off the financial crisis. It’s 2008, …

War Horse ***

If ever a film was openly seeking Oscar recognition, it’s Steven Spielberg’s latest solemn contender, War Horse, coming hot off the heels of his recent fun family adventure, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. No stranger to evoking emotions when he so desires in his dramatic cinematic offerings that include Schindler’s List, …

Mother and Child ****

As the title suggests, Rodrigo García‘s deeply affecting new drama, Mother and Child, lays bare the life-changing force of motherhood with dynamic bittersweet, harrowing and raw moments from its stellar cast. Annette Bening gives one of her most enigmatic and painfully frank performances yet that cuts direct to the core. The story follows three women: …