Posts tagged Michael Stuhlbarg
MOVIE REVIEW: Miss Sloane

In some political circles, “lobbyists” are the advocates that “get things done.”  In others, the job title is a dirty word than many are quick to refute or redefine.  When Hollywood screenwriters decide to lionize the role of the lobbyist, they hop on the #NastyWoman bandwagon, cast Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain, and give you “Miss Sloane.”  For all of the sound bite talk about “draining the swamp” to kill the metaphorical mosquitoes, doing so leaves the carnivores behind.  Make no mistake, “Miss Sloane” showcases a true apex predator.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Arrival

To reveal more of the emotional and scientific obstacle course would take away from the engrossing experience to be had by “Arrival.”  This is the anti-”Independence Day,” so don’t expect a populist romp.  Instead, open your mind to a stimulating and provocative mindbender that may require more than one viewing to grasp and appreciate.  The trippy events unfolding out of the screenplay tangle the puppeteer’s strings and play with narrative and filmmaking forces few are daring enough, and smart enough, to wield.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Doctor Strange

Now in its third phase, Marvel continues to take C-level and D-list comic book characters and titles, breath cinematic life into them with top-notch talent in front of and behind the camera, and turn the obscure in newly minted household names and merchandising windfalls.  "Doctor Strange" continues the studio's blueprint of Midas Touch success while jubilantly kicking down the door for magic and mysticism in the MCU.  You may not know him yet, but Stephen Strange is a major player and huge addition to an already-loaded heroic panorama.

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ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW: Steve Jobs

"Steve Jobs" chronicles soul-bearing small measures of the real man behind the public persona of genius.  The blood feuds and many glorious shouting matches deliver one narrative bombshell after another.  Using a unique three-act structure, the artistic result is nearly perfect.  Superior to its peers in so many areas of technique and performance, "Steve Jobs" stands boldly as one of the finest films of 2015.  

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