NYC Film Critic

Sorry that things have been quiet around here for the past two weeks.  Last Friday, when I’d normally be posting my links for the week, I was on a plane bound for Park City, Utah to attend my first-ever Sundance Film Festival.  It was a whirlwind trip, roughly 72 hours in all, but I managed to pack in a bunch of movies and even a little minor sightseeing.  I chronicled my experiences in a three-part series for TWoP.  Check out those recaps, along with a bunch of other reviews from the past two weeks, below.

Sundance Recap, Part 1
Sundance Recap, Part 2
Sundance Recap, Part 3
Sundance Gallery
The Grey: Man Vs. Wild
Q&A with Joe Carnahan
Indie Snapshot
Haywire: She Can’t Be Tamed
Red Tails: Up, Up and Away
Oscar Nominations

Mark Wahlberg continues to prove himself tone deaf when it comes to choosing solo action vehicles with Contraband, a snoozy smuggling thriller with far too little thrills.  Also this week, I explain why Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is overrated.  Follow the links below to the past few  days of TWoP content.

Contraband: Hit the Snooze Button
Beauty and the Beast: Tale as Bland as Time
I Want My VOD
I Want My DVD
Pan Am Recap
House of Lies Recap
Downton Abbey Recap
TV on DVD
How to Make a Generic Action Movie

Since this was the first week back post-New Year’s, it was an understandably light week on TWoP.  But I did post a few pieces of content, including reviews of The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher and my Golden Globes predictions (and snubs).  Follow the links below.

Indie Snapshot: The Iron Lady, Pariah and A Separation
I Want My DVD
TV on DVD
Golden Globes Picks and Predictions
Golden Globes Snubs

As the above picture indicates, Take Shelter is my pick for the Best Film of 2011.  But what other nine movies made my list?  Check out the full story over at TWoP by following the link below.

The Top Ten Movies of 2011

If you grew up reading Tintin as I did, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how well Steven Spielberg has translated Herge’s globetrotting adventurer/journalist to the motion capture realm.  Mo-cap gets a lot of flack, some of it deserved, but this film represents a major step forward for the medium, not just for its exceptional large-scale set-pieces but also in its impressive character work.  It’s certainly a more lively, fun film than this week’s other big release, David Fincher’s beautifully crafted, but (for me at least) dramatically inert thriller, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Links to all those reviews — and more — are below.

The Adventures of Tintin: Raiders of the Lost Unicorn
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Rhymes with Schmoring
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: After The Fall
War Horse and We Bought a Zoo Reviews
Q&A with Tintin Animator, Jamie Beard
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Press Conference
I Want My DVD
TV on DVD
American Horror Story Finale Recap
2012 Winter Preview Galleries

I’m not as high on Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol as other critics seem to be, but overall it’s a solid blockbuster that looks even better when compared to the dire Sherlock Holmes sequel, which is also opening in theaters this weekend.  My review of both films are below, along with the rest of the week’s TWoP content.

Battle of the Blockbusters: MI4 and Sherlock Holmes
Indie Snapshot: Carnage
Golden Globes Reactions
I Want My DVD
NYFCO Awards Summary
American Horror Story Recap
TV on DVD
Year in Review 2012: The Best Movies You May Have Missed
Year in Review 2012: Best & Worst Performances
Year in Review 2012: Our Least Favorite Movies
Year in Review 2012: Our Favorite Movies

As I mention in my review, I didn’t think Jason Reitman or Diablo Cody had this kind of resolutely dark comedy in them.  But Young Adult is bracingly mean and honest in a very compelling way about its central character, an author of young adult fiction stuck in a bad case of arrested development herself.  I review the film and more in this week’s round-up of TWoP content.

Young Adult: Not Just Another Mean Girl
The Sitter: We’ll Stick with Adventures in Babysitting
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
I Want My DVD
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Interviews
Jason Reitman and Charlize Theron Discuss Young Adult
I Want My VOD
Community Recap
American Horror Story Recap
Pan Am Recap
Worst Movie Character Babysitters

I thought British director Steve McQueen’s first film, Hunger, was quite good, but I was unprepared for how great his sophomore effort, Shame, turned out to be.  A gripping character study with a stellar cast, this film had me in its grip from the opening minutes and never let go.  Read my full review and the rest of this week’s TWoP content via the links below.

Shame and Coriolanus Reviews
Most Unerotic Erotic Movies
I Want My DVD
TV on DVD
American Horror Story Recap
Community Recap

I liked The Muppets, but I loved Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, a lavish, lovely period piece infused with the love of early silent cinema.  If you’re not too turkey-stuffed this weekend, make seeing this film one of your top priorities.  Read my review and the rest of this week’s TWoP content below.

Hugo and The Muppets Review
Indie Snapshot
The Muppets: Bret McKenzie Interview
The Muppets: Nicholas Stoller Interview
My Week with Marilyn: Simon Curtis Interview
The Artist: Michel Hazanavicius Interview
Hugo Press Conference
I Want My DVD
American Horror Story Recap
Saturday Night Live Recap
TV on DVD
End of the Year Preview
Worst Post-Jim Henson Muppet Projects

Clint Eastwood’s second non-starter in a row (after last year’s dismal Hereafter) is the biopic J. Edgar, which has a strong central performance in search of a better movie.  Full list of this week’s content below.

J. Edgar: This Movie is History
The Descendants: Blue Hawaii
I Want My DVD
American Horror Story Review
Community Review
Holiday Gift Guide: Blu-rays and Box Sets