Search for State

Respect uses vignettes to provide an overview of the early years of Aretha Franklin’s life and career. Along the way, the movie touches on a number of weighty issues including domestic abuse, alcoholism, and Civil Rights activism. The film c...

The most surprising thing about Restless, the latest film from indie director Gus Van Sant, is how conventional it is. Of course, this is not the first time Van Sant, whose penchant is for offbeat productions with little widespread appeal, has ente...

The most interesting aspect of Resurrection comes from guessing how insane the main character is and whether anything she’s seeing is real. Still, those are primarily intellectual curiosities and I’m not sure how well they gel in feature lengt...

When it comes to the annual Liam Neeson cash-grab, I have learned to temper my expectations. A guilty pleasure would seem to be an attainable goal, although those instances have been more the exception than the rule lately. The problem is that Nee...

Sometimes just having a clever idea isn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Take Return to Horror High. If I was being generous, I’d admit there’s something in the premise that could make for an entertaining horror-comedy/parody with a blurring of ...

The Revenant, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning Birdman, plays like a cross between Terrence Malick and Sam Peckinpah. As unlikely as such a conflation might seem, the result works - sometimes to stunning effect. In a...

Since 1997, Titanic fans have been yearning for a re-teaming of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Revolutionary Road is the opportunity they have awaited, but the results may cause as much distress as joy. Directed by Winslet's husband, Sam Men...

Richard III - it's Shakespeare that has nothing to do with Kenneth Branagh. Actually, at first glance, this film doesn't appear to have anything to do with the Bard's play, either. Opening in a 1930's England war room with a tank crashing through...

Late in his career, as he has transitioned from the dual role of “actor/director” to primarily remaining behind the camera, Clint Eastwood has become increasingly fascinated with real-life subjects. He has also long been interested in diss...

A considerable amount of talent was assembled to make what has turned into a throw-away late summer film. Academy Award winning actors Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline headline the cast while Oscar winners Jonathan Demme and Diablo Cody handle the direct...