ReelViews for R movies

The Master is one of the most technically impressive films of 2012. It is the work of an artist; every shot is carefully composed. The set design, which recreates post-World War II America, is impeccable. The acting of the leads, Joaquin Phoenix an...

It's not hard to be enthusiastic about The Matador, an uncommon buddy film starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. The movie has a nicely modulated mix of comedy and pathos, but succeeds as much because of the two lead performances as Richard She...

In my review of Woody Allen's previous misfire, Melinda and Melinda, I wrote the following: "Lately, Allen's films have sunk into a state of heightened mediocrity - sporadically entertaining, but often disappointing, at least for those clinging to ...

Materialists, Celine Song’s follow-up to the sublime Past Lives, is a rom-com on Prozac. Weighed down by a flat performance from Dakota Johnson, the movie shifts into low-gear after an upbeat, promising first act. Johnson’s lack of chemistr...

Non-demanding fans of the original The Matrix will likely be enthralled by the second installment in the series. More demanding aficionados will likely have a few reservations, some of which will not be addressed until the release of the third fea...

It’s unusual for a series lasting four movies to follow the consistent downward trend evidenced by The Matrix cycle. The first movie, 1999’s The Matrix, started things off with a bang. Sadly, the first sequel, 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded, was...

The Matrix Revolutions represents a disappointing way for the science fiction trilogy to bow out. Overlong and underwhelming, The Matrix Revolutions reinforces the thinking that it’s a rare movie series in which the final chapter is the stronges...

There's no sophomore jinx for the Wachowski Brothers. Andy and Larry, a pair of obviously talented film makers, have returned to theaters with The Matrix, a science fiction thriller that is every bit the match of their debut effort, Bound, for ten...

Maxxxine has the ideas. It has the style. It has Mia Goth. But somewhere along the way, writer/director Ti West lost the story. And, when it comes down to it, a movie can have a lot of nice flourishes and a great performance but if the narrative i...

May December, loosely based on the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal from the late 1990s, examines the long-term impacts on the lives of those involved in an adult/child sexual relationship that evolves over a lengthy period. As presented through the le...