Pick of the week: “Re-Animator“ — Former UW-Madison student Stuart Gordon’s glorious and gory cult ’80s film about a mad scientist trying to resurrect dead tissue, with results going about as wrong as you might expect.
Every seven years, this New York Times article on “Boyhood” and the “Up” movies will still be dumb
I love “Boyhood.” I love Michael Apted’s “Up” documentary series. I fervently wish we lived in a world where it was okay to like both.
Oh, right. We already do.
“Two Days, One Night”: High drama in the break room
“Two Days One Night” opens Friday at Sundance Cinemas. PG-13, 1:35, three and a half stars out of four.
How far would you go to fight for your job? In the Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes’ powerful and understated drama, Marion Cotillard plays a factory worker who faces a choice that seems almost medieval, but couched by her bosses in the jargon of officespeak.
Just released from the hospital after a workplace accident (and a bout of depression), Sandra (Cotillard) finds she no longer has a job. Her boss told the employees that they could either keep her on staff or keep their 1,000-Euro bonuses. Most voted for the bonuses, but it later appears the foreman was spreading rumors that if Sandra wasn’t laid off, somebody else would be.
Instant Gratification: “Chef” and four other good movies to watch on Netflix Instant
Pick of the week: “Chef“ — My full review is here. While some elements of Jon Favreau’s indie hit strain credulity (I can’t imagine Scarlett Johansson really getting that worked up over someone making spaghetti), this is an amiable film about pursuing what you love, and a celebration of American cuisine. And it will teach you how to make a great grilled-cheese sandwich.
“2015 Oscar Shorts — Animated”: CGI takes a back seat for once
The “2015 Oscar Shorts — Animated” program is now playing at Sundance Cinemas. Not rated, 1:30, three stars out of four.
Traditional hand-drawn animation may be on its last legs as far as feature films go, as the Studio Ghibli documentary “Kingdom of Dreams and Madness” seemed to suggest. But in the animated short, working with pen and paint seems to be seeing a resurgence.
“2015 Oscar Shorts — Live Action”: Think globally, act briefly
The “2015 Oscar Shorts — Live Action” open Friday at Sundance Cinemas. Not rated, 1 hour 30 minutes. Three stars out of four. I’ll be doing a post show chat at Sundance after the 7 p.m. show on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Of the three short-film categories at the Oscars, I always find the live action shorts hardest to predict. Do you pick the one you like best, or the one that you think Academy voters would warm to? Do you pick the one that’s most like a traditional Hollywood movie, or least like it? Funny, or serious?
From Belfast to Tibet, from London to Israel, the five short films nominated this year for an Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short are a mixed bag both geographically and dramatically. All five are now playing at Sundance (along the animation and documentary shorts), so you can decide for yourself.
Sundance Film Festival: Three’s a crowd in the post-apocalyptic “Z for Zachariah”
What if you were the last man on earth?
Okay, now what if you were the second-to-last man on earth?
Craig Zobel’s “Z for Zachariah” is a fascinating film that I guess should be called science fiction, although there’s nothing futuristic, or even scientific, really, about it. Maybe the better term is “speculative fiction,” because it invites the viewer to speculate how they would react in a similar, extreme circumstance. What would I do? Who would I be?
Sundance Film Festival: Education documentary “Most Likely To Succeed” doesn’t show its work
As a documentary about life in an alternative charter school in San Diego called High Tech High, Greg Whiteley’s documentary “Most Likely To Succeed” is fun and engaging. As a documentary about how America needs to talk about reinventing its education system to meet the demands of the 21st-century economy, it raises interesting points.
But when it suggests that state and federal governments shouldn’t be setting education standards? Show your work, movie.
Sundance Film Festival: In “Digging For Fire,” some things in a marriage should stay buried
Why isn’t Joe Swanberg doing a TV show? I say this without intending the slightest dis whatsoever. Swanberg’s improv-heavy, character-driven stories, done quickly, seem to be perfect for the new Golden Age of television. I would so watch “Drinking Buddies” every Sunday night on Showtime.
Sundance Film Festival: “Cop Car” is a bad influence, but a good thriller
“Weiner.”
Good screenwriting always comes from a place of truth. So when the first line of Jon Watts’ “Cop Car” is a nine-year-old boy saying the word “weiner,” I knew I was in good hands.
Madison Movie 