Film Review: Judy

Zellweger may find Oscar gold waiting at the end of her rainbow

Judy (Renée Zellweger) belts out The Trolley Song to an adoring crowd in 1968 London.

Remember the controversy back in 2013 because a bunch of Australians had dominated the new screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby, that most quintessential of American stories? Fast forward six years, and now we’ve got Brits helming a new biopic of one of America’s most beloved — and troubled — stars, Judy Garland. Fortunately, Judy fares a bit better than Gatsby, thanks in large part to a dazzling performance by Renée Zellweger in the title role.

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Film Review: The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Contemplative, timely film considers a changing SF

Jimmie (Jimmie Fails, r.) and his friend Mont (Jonathan Majors) reclaim Jimmie’s childhood home.

Opening on the heels of two recent, widely criticized national pieces bashing the “new” San Francisco in the New Yorker and the Washington Post, writer/director Joe Talbot’s first feature film, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, couldn’t be timelier. But Talbot has the advantage over those much dismissed east coast writers: he’s a San Francisco native (fifth generation, no less), and, as his film’s protagonist declares about our fair city by the Bay, “You don’t get to hate it unless you love it.” Continue reading “Film Review: The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Film Review: Unbroken

Fierce performances, incredible true story balance picture’s limited scope

After 47 days adrift at sea, Phil (Domhnall Gleeson) and Louis (Jack O’Connell) have the additional misfortune of being rescued by a Japanese war ship.

Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s popular book of the same name, Unbroken boasts impressive credentials: directed by Angelia Jolie and co-written by none other than the Coen Brothers, the movie generated much pre-release buzz. While the film succeeds immensely as a riveting survival tale, it often feels a little repetitive and one-note.

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