Category Archives: Movies

Streep shines in “Florence Foster Jenkins”

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By Meherina Khan
Katy, TX

“Florence Foster Jenkins” is a biographical comedy that follows the eponymous New York socialite and philanthropist, played by Meryl Streep, as she strives to establish herself as a passionate—though not very talented—opera singer. Although enthusiastic, every yelp and moan was so awful; it was hard to suppress the tears and winces that came along with hearing such an unpleasant voice.

As a rich patron of the arts, it wasn’t hard for Jenkins to buy out Carnegie Hall and live out her deeply vested dream to perform. Her concert became legendary—more for her ability to be tone deaf rather than her skill to carry a botched tune.  Continue reading →

McKellen makes ‘Holmes’ worth watching

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By Katherine Powell
Chicago, Ill.

In Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes, Ian McKellen plays Sherlock Holmes, the famous fictitious detective. Holmes has retired to the countryside, to tend to bees and try to remember his last case, which led him to retire from his detective work. Holmes knows that the popular novel written by Watson has incorrectly made him the hero, but he has lost the threads of his memory. He lives in his home with a housekeeper, the widowed Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her son Roger. Holmes is his typical gruff self, untangling the facts and investigating his own memory, while he grapples with his failing mind and feelings of loneliness.

One theme of the film is how much people need other people. Holmes spends his time trying to reconstruct the facts of his final investigation. He discovers that his fundamental mistake was not offering comfort to the woman, just cold facts. He realizes that logic is not the only thing that matters, and he becomes close to his housekeeper and her son, establishing a very sweet connection with the two. Continue reading →

McKellen can’t save disappointing ‘Holmes’

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By Jasmin Lee
Oakland Gardens, N.Y.

When you hear the name Sherlock Holmes, an image of a lanky man wearing a deerstalker and smoking a pipe in the shadows of a dark alleyway comes to mind. Mr. Holmes, directed by Bill Condon and based on Mitch Cullin’s novel, “A Slight Trick of the Mind,” offers a very different Holmes.

The film features an elderly Holmes (Ian McKellen) residing in a Sussex village with a widowed housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her 14-year-old son Roger (Milo Parker). Set in 1947, the film centers on a tormented Holmes, who is haunted by fading memories of a 30-year-old case that caused him to go into retirement. Continue reading →

Hoffman shines in dull spy feature

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Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in ‘A Most Wanted Man’ as a brilliant but troubled spy. This was Hoffman’s final role before his unexpected death in February.

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in ‘A Most Wanted Man’ as a brilliant but troubled spy. This was Hoffman’s final role before his unexpected death in February.

By Catherina Gioino
Queens, N.Y.

In a society where fears of terrorism are often racially and religiously-charged, there comes a point at which people must rethink their prejudices. Such is the message of “A Most Wanted Man,” a film set in a post-September 11th era when governments are on the lookout for terrorists.

A darkening title card sets the tone for the film, by detailing the German government’s failure to detect Mohammad Atta, one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks. Some time later, Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin) — a man sought after by counterterrorism officials — mysteriously appears in Hamburg. Karpov, a suspected Chechen terrorist, is the initial subject of investigation by Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a troubled and brilliant spy. Continue reading →

‘Boyhood’: A journey from childhood to adulthood

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Courtesy of IFC Productions

Courtesy of IFC Productions

By Jodi Sterling
New York, N.Y.

In his newest feature, writer and director Richard Linklater captures the life of a typical American kid — from dealing with his older sister annoyingly singing Britney Spears to consuming mushrooms on his first day of college. Linklater’s independent film “Boyhood” is a drama that follows a boy through his 12-year journey from childhood to adulthood.

The film tracks Mason (Ellar Coltrane) as he grows up with his struggling mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and his obnoxious sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). Throughout the film, Mason comes face-to-face with many challenges as he tries to figure out the meaning of this thing called life. As Mason grows from year to year, the viewer sees a realistic perspective of a young kid growing up in America, and the ups and downs that go along with it. Continue reading →

‘Most Wanted Man’ offers sophisticated plot

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Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in ‘A Most Wanted Man’ as a brilliant but troubled spy. This was Hoffman’s final role before his unexpected death in February.

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in ‘A Most Wanted Man’ as a brilliant but troubled spy. This was Hoffman’s final role before his unexpected death in February.

By Nicholas Santiago
Newark, N.J.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, in his final role, plays Günther Bachmann, a hardened undercover German spy hunting for terrorist threats while attempting to maintain his tight circle of informants. Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) joins Hoffman onscreen as a humanitarian lawyer defending Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a Chechen-Russian fugitive haunted by his past as he enters Hamburg in search of a new future. This is Dobrygin’s English-language debut, and may well prove to be his breakout role.

Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe), a wealthy banker, and Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright), a case officer at the U.S. embassy, are solid supporting characters whose roles become increasingly intertwined with Günther and Issa as the plot thickens.

And thicken it does. With no signs of relief, the characters’ paths continually intersect, and no individual’s true intent becomes elucidated until the final scene. Continue reading →

‘Most Wanted Man’ a slow-burning drama that pays off

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By Justin Park
Queens, N.Y.

Günther is standing in the dark, maintaining his ice-cold demeanor as Tommy yells at him. In a reserved tone, he says, “We have a job to do Tommy; you are going to help me do it.”

The leader of a German intelligence and counter-terrorism unit, Günther always seems to be calmly in control of every situation. Throughout this intense, suspenseful, slow — but highly engaging — film, he proves to be a master of manipulating multiple contacts to achieve his objectives.

“A Most Wanted Man” is a spy thriller, based on the John le Carré novel. It’s the fifth of le Carré’s books to be adapted for the big screen, following most recently the critically acclaimed “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” “A Most Wanted Man” may be best known at this point because it’s one of the last films to star the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. And in Günther, Hoffman has created an extremely believable, complicated and grim character. Continue reading →

‘Boyhood’ provides a realistic perspective

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By Sania Syed
Los Angeles, Calif.

Despite lacking the cinematic effects audiences have come to expect in major motion pictures, “Boyhood” manages to keep audiences enthralled. A fictional drama directed and written by Richard Linklater, the movie uses an unusual concept: It was filmed over the course of 12 years — using the same actors as they aged in real time to tell the story of a small child growing into a student entering college. As a result, one word encompasses the entire movie: realistic.

The film follows the life of Mason, Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) from age 6 through 18, beginning with his move to Houston with his single mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). In the movie, Mason transitions through many situations, ranging from assimilating to new environments to learning how alcoholism contributes to domestic violence. Mason’s character changes from curious to careless in adolescence, but later matures into an intellectual artist. The movie also depicts his improving relationship with his estranged father (Ethan Hawke) and the evolution of his mother’s social standing. Continue reading →

Groundbreaking ‘Boyhood’ does not disappoint

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By Johnny Flores Jr.
Coachella, Calif.

Filmed over the course of 12 years and utilizing the same cast, director Richard Linklater’s movie “Boyhood” has finally arrived and it does not disappoint.

The movie takes the audience on a captivating journey through the eyes of the main character, Mason (Ellar Coltrane), from his boyhood into adulthood. Alongside Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette star as Mason’s parents with Lorelei Linklater featured as Mason’s sister, Samantha.

As we journey with Mason, we experience key moments in his life, such as moving from house to house and constantly transferring schools. Linklater relies on the audience to experience these moments for themselves rather than overdramatizing his characters. Consequently, some critics claim that the lack of emotion makes the characters dull, but instead this strategy illustrates Linklater’s innovation by allowing the audience to determine their own reaction to the events in Mason’s life. Continue reading →

A tale of a lifetime, ‘Boyhood’ feels to viewers like it takes just as long

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Courtesy of IFC Productions

Courtesy of IFC Productions

By Nathan Phan
Rosemead, Calif.

Despite telling a boy’s story from youth to maturity, “Boyhood” exaggerates the journey of growing up and, thus, fails to be memorable because of its reliance on nostalgia.

Featuring a child whose transition to manhood is impeded by trauma, “Boyhood” follows the life of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), who begins his journey as an introverted child with his mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette), and his sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). As his mother struggles to establish a sense of stability and his father, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke), attempts to atone for his failures, the audience is coerced to enter Mason’s life. Continue reading →