Malik’s Movie Reviews Past & Present
In a World is one of the films this year that most feels like an ‘indie film’ to me. Set in a world (no pun intended) I know a little about, the story takes place in the shadow of Don LaFontane, the best known voiceover artist in Hollywood lore. Lake Bell is our protagonist, the […]
The Square is watching history as it unfolds. I don’t say that as a metaphor; the hook for this documentary is in viewing it, and also as a snapshot of the time we live in. With at times, unbelievable access, the audience watches the removal of Mubarak from power…only for Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood […]
‘To the victor goes the spoils.’ That’s one of the hard truths to come out of The Act of Killing. This documentary is dark, and offensive (yes, even I can be offended if pushed hard enough), and chilling. Don’t look for a lot of humor here; the funniest moment to me was hearing a politician […]
With only a general knowledge of what this film was about, it took about 5 minutes for this pop music geek to feel like a kid in a candy store. 20 Feet From Stardom is the story of the background singer. And I’m still a little amazed by how much information and how many stories […]
The latest film from Spike Jonze, Her, is funny, and creepy, and it’s a dead on social commentary…and it’s brilliant. Set in the ‘very near future’, the story revolves around Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix as Spike’s on screen avatar), a shy guy who still hasn’t fully jumped back in the game after a messy divorce. He buys […]
I was in as soon as I heard ‘Martin Scorsese’s new film’. Doesn’t mean I’ll automatically love it (we’ll get to that), but I’ll see what he’s selling. And Leo. He’ll always have the blessing and the curse of Titanic, but as an actor, he almost always comes through with the parts (and choices) he makes. Like […]
I’m not the biggest Alexander Payne fanboy, so I wasn’t crazy about Nebraska. Still though, maybe it’s because I’m in the generation of the main character (Will Forte), that I appreciated this story more than I thought I would. The plot revolves around a son who drives his stubborn father from Montana to Nebraska to […]
This is starting to feel like a year from the 70s. A lot of really good films, but they cover a lot of different territory. American Hustle is the ‘fun’ film, and 12 Years a Slave is the ‘important’ film…but if you wanted to make the case that Gravity is the ‘most cinematic film’ (and the Producers Guild seems […]
Let me start by telling you (if you didn’t already know) that whenever I see the title card that says ‘Written and Directed by Woody Allen,’ that’s an automatic plus one on the review. Blue Jasmine follows a middle aged woman (the always on point Cate Blanchett) who has to move in with her sister […]
I didn’t know this before last week, but as soon as the film started, I realized August: Osage County is based on a play. Lot of name actors, every major character has a monologue at some point (which is like chum for actors). The basic story is one that’s familiar: a parent dies and all the […]
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