Category Archives: Film Reviews

Film reviews and analyses. Most recently published is in front.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Yes, it’s true. The second in the series is a better film than the first. It’s leaner, tougher and grittier—the elements the first lacked to its detriment. And yes, it helps if you have seen the first one. (In fact, … Continue reading →

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Gravity

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Mark DuPré

In spite of its financial and critical success, Gravity isn’t the best film of the year. We have a few months to go, but right now Captain Phillips holds that place. Yet there is nothing in all of film that … Continue reading →

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Captain Phillips

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Captain Phillips is being presented as a Tom Hanks movie. It’s actually a Paul Greengrass film. Greengrass, perhaps best known as the director of the last two Bourne movies, ought to be best known for United 93, a near-brilliant retelling … Continue reading →

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Rush

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Rush is one of those films that many people will get excited about, and will then pretty much disappear. It’s a rush, to be sure, and its surface is generally pretty and shiny and fast moving. When it was over, … Continue reading →

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The Spectacular Now

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Mark DuPré

The Spectacular Now is one of those movies “they” don’t make much anymore. It’s a small-to-medium-sized film, somewhat like a Woody Allen movie in scope. No aliens, no superheroes, no thrilling chases–in fact, New York and Washington are left completely … Continue reading →

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Elysium

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Count me a fan of director Neil Blomkamp’s 2009’s District 9, which brought a refreshing reinvention to the dystopian sci-fi film with a keen visual sense, a new accomplished performer at the center (Sharlto Copley), and the social resonance of … Continue reading →

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Blue Jasmine

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Every year there is at least one master class in acting for us to enjoy, and for those interested, to study. In previous years, it’s been provided by Streep, Day-Lewis, Penn, or Philip Seymour Hoffman. This year, it’s supplied before … Continue reading →

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Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Lee Daniels’ The Butler is nearly a critic-proof film. Its subject matter—a real-life butler who served a number of presidents in the White House—has been tied inextricably into the greater battle for civil rights for African-Americans. That’s the source of … Continue reading →

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The Wolverine

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Full disclosure: I’m not a comic book geek, nor a superhero fan, and not even a particular fan of the popular Wolverine character. So maybe that’s what accounts for a rather tepid response to this film, an admittedly superior film … Continue reading →

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Fruitvale Station

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Yes, a star is born. There are plenty of good reasons to see and experience Fruitvale Station. But perhaps the greatest pleasure is watching the birth of a star—Michael B. Jordan. The film, a favorite at Cannes and Sundance, is … Continue reading →

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