Sequels are a dicey business, where a flavor too similar to the original can breed audience contempt. But in 22 Jump Street, co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller playfully make replication their creative launching pad. Lovable cops Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill), following the make-it-up-as-we-go-along style of law enforcement, are still basking in […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ (2014)
June 5, 2014 by
The teen protagonists who fall in love in The Fault in Our Stars, based on John Green’s megahit book, are just like most adolescents, except for one huge difference. They’re cancer survivors, who somehow opt to weather their days with as much normalcy as they can muster, despite knowing how limited their remaining time is […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Neighbors’ (2014)
May 5, 2014 by
Wordsworth is no doubt turning over in his grave, knowing that his staid, elegant adage – “the child is father of the man” – has just gotten a 21st-century, frat-boy comedy makeover. Directed by Nicholas Stoller, Neighbors sledgehammers home the point that people’s adult actions are greatly imbued with their childhood behaviors. And because the […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Locke’ (2014)
April 21, 2014 by
There’s no end to the drama that can place in the confines of an automobile. Drag racing, sudden death and frisky mayhem in the back seat are only a partial vehicular legacy. But if you’re looking for the “Mother of Car Movies,” it’s Locke, a riveting piece of cinema in which the protagonist deconstructs his […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Cuban Fury’ (2014)
April 6, 2014 by
Bullies will stop at nothing to brutalize their victims. But making a male teen eat the sequins from his salsa dance costume is one for the books. It’s also a critical plot point in Cuban Fury, an appealing tale of a sad sack who pulls himself up by his bootstraps – make that dancing shoes […]
Astrology: Television: Review: ‘True Detective’ Finale Goes into the Void with Neptune
March 10, 2014 by
It’s not always just the hero and the villain whose morals and world views are diametrically opposed. “Buddy” protagonists, whether male or female, are typically at loggerheads. And in the eight-episode series “True Detective,” whose finale aired last night, the operative word to describe the huge character differences between Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Grand Piano’ (2014)
March 4, 2014 by
A person whose promising career is suddenly sidelined invariably winds up wallowing in self-doubt and embracing cautionary, risk-free measures. In Grand Piano, directed by Eugenio Mira, Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood) knows that feeling well. A young pianist, who once enjoyed the reputation of having the fastest fingers in the business, Tom’s been immobilized on a […]
Astrology: Fashion: Haute Lunch Tiffins and Stackable Stainless Steel Containers
February 27, 2014 by
With bucket bags huge this season – and voluminously huge always – there’s no better time for gals to become fashion-forward with unique lunch receptacles that easily fit into their nice bottomless sacks. We’re taking our cue from The Lunchbox, a magical foodie movie from Ritesh Batra, which tells the story of two lonely people […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘The Lunchbox’ (2014)
February 25, 2014 by
Neither Mumbai’s human congestion nor vehicular gridlock hinders the dedicated guys – the dabbawallahs – who transport thousands of wives’ lovingly cooked hot lunches to their office-worker husbands. These delivery mens’ blemish-free accuracy – documented by a Harvard study! – is jaw-dropping, considering the volume of goods shuttled back and forth. Until one day, there’s […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Gloria’ (2014)
January 24, 2014 by
In the opening moments of the Chilean movie Gloria, the titular character, divorced for a decade and who’s pushing the older side of middle-age, is at an demographically appropriate nightclub in Santiago. With drink in hand, she’s unashamedly fishing for a man. But what director Sebastián Lelio winds up exploring is Gloria’s profound personal confusion […]
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