Film Review: Enough Said (2013)

Whether or not you like Enough Said, the latest film from Nicole Holofcener (Walking and Talking, Please Give) will probably boil down to what you want from a comedy. Specifically, whether you value structure and plotting over character and performance, or vice versa. The film positively overflows with the latter, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini giving warm, funny and natural performances as a pair of divorcees who embark on a playful romance together, but those very graceful and unforced performances are in service of a plot which at times feels very awkward and contrived. In order to discuss the film in any depth, it's necessary to give away the set-up, which is admittedly established fairly early on, but if you're really spoiler-adverse consider that fair warning.

Shot/Reverse Shot: Episode 35 - James Gandolfini

Joe and I were both saddened and shocked by the death of James Gandolfini last week at the age of 51. Gandolfini was a fantastic actor who brought great depth and sophistication to every role he played, but especially to the character of Tony Soprano, one of the most complex, layered and compelling characters in the history of television. We wanted to pay tribute to him but unfortunately were not able to record together, so I offered up this brief episode on the work and legacy of a great artist.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Gandolfini.

Film Review: Killing Them Softly (2012)

Released on the cusp of the 2012 awards season, Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly was strangely, some might say cruelly, ignored by most of the mainstream awards, a fate which mirrored its failure to connect with a broad audience. Granted, it's still the most commercially successful film of Dominik's career and it did not want for critical attention, but this seems much too modest a fate for a film which, whilst flawed, is still a fascinating, often brilliant attempt to make a down-and-dirty crime thriller which doubles as a (perhaps too) pointed political commentary.

Film Review: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Zero Dark Thirty begins with a moment that is shocking in its simplicity. Over a black screen, we hear the actual voices of those caught up in the horror of the September 11th attacks, beginning with the relatively calm words of people on the ground trying to figure out what was happening, gradually building to phone and black box recordings of the victims themselves. The voices overlap each other, growing more deafening until they form a wall of fear, death and incomprehension.  It's a remarkably effective way of recreating the events of that day without feeling exploitative or crass, instead placing the audience at the whirling centre of the maelstrom.