Reviews by Monty

An excellent film, compact storytelling with an appropriate dose of Burton-esqe flair (Amy Adams starts to see those big eyes in her mind) which supports and does not detract from the story or character. Add in colorful shots of San Francisco and landscape and you've got a true art film which also has the fascinating angle of being based on a true story!

This is a fascinating film, with unassailable acting and with a deep sense that this is touching on something beyond just entertainment and fame. The mixture of sort-of single shot filming, live theater-feel, surrealism and suspense, it takes you on a ride that you don't want to get off of. Even the ending, which i'm not too sure about, keeps you guessing, and you kind of want to see multiple endings.

While i am a fan of what Michael Chabon does - big novels, ambitious stories with a distinct atmosphere in each one, characters with a certain mystique - for some reason i have trouble reading his stuff. I'm sure it's a problem on my part - i just don't get his cadence or something. Not sure. That said, despite my difficulties, the efforts are worth it.

Supposedly a collection of short stories, but i confess i didn't realize that and read it as though it were a cryptic novel with lots of holes. Despite my error, the book/stories was/were very satisfying, and there is a thread through many of the stories with the author's narrator Yunior. The colloquial language and character flaws of the author's narrator are very engaging, and i found myself chuckling at many a turn of phrase. I read an interview where the author indicated his other books and this one could be considered a "fragmented novel" with only parts of Yunior's life being revealed at a time.

Deserving of all the accolades, a beautifully written novel about war and how it affects the young people stuck fighting it. Sure to stand the test of time, I think much of this book rises to the level of poetry. And yet, it is crafted so well you can breeze through like a paperback novel. This is definitely a book I will return to read again, something i rarely do.

I am a fan of futuristic fiction, and (my friend, full disclosure) Rita weaves a gripping plot through an very satisfying, and frighteningly realistic future world. Not quite distopian, perhaps because it is very close to our current trends, and definitely not utopian, it's a world that we probably don't want, and yet we are working toward every day. You will enjoy the cutting sense of humor and the thought provoking future we are likely to live in soon. In fact, the book (written before the superstorm Sandy) presages the devastating storm that hit NY and NJ in surprising detail. Perhaps the future Rita paints is coming faster than we think.

Wow. I watched this again nine years after a first viewing. This is such a wonderful character exploration, location specific story telling, and a love story, and wonderfully shot to boot.

Mundane premise with fun acting that sells it. The characters, while stereotypical, are well executed. Steve Carell as the utterly sympathetic man losing his marriage is believable. His transformation from the even more stereotypical ladies man of Ryan Gossling is less so. Gosslings similar transformation is also unbelievable. That said, plot comes together well.

NOTE: The description is the right book, and release date, but the year in the title and he cover is wrong. I enjoyed this book for it's detailed scenescape of Toronto, which i just visited, in particular the majestic Old City Hall, which now functions as a courthouse. This murder mystery grips you right at the start and keeps things moving quickly with a varied cast of characters in the Toronto scene - radio hosts, politicians, police, Crown prosecutors and defense lawyers, and many more. It's a swiftly moving mystery with enough for everyone.

This film makes a whole lot more sense to me now that I learned it is a remake of a French film. It played a lot like a British farce play, with some no-so-subtle humor and outrageous characters. But it has an air of something stranger than your typical British farce. Despite the silliness, the acting of such excellent actors as Emily Blunt, Bill Nighy and the fantastic Rupert Everett make this a romp worth watching.