The Chicago Sun-Times obituary by Neil Steinberg couldn’t have said it better: “Roger Ebert loved movies.” Considering that he reviewed thousands upon thousands of them, it was a good thing. From 1967 to his death in 2013, Ebert was the film critic … Continue reading LIFE ITSELF
Zombieland has a lot of fun with its premise. Our hero and narrator is not a rugged and resourceful alpha male, but the scrawny and timid Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a character who might seem more at home in a Woody Allen … Continue reading ZOMBIELAND
Dr. Ian Grey (Michael Pitt) is a cute scientist with tousled hair, tortoise print glasses, and a wardrobe he must have picked up from Scientists-R-Us. He is a man obsessed with studying patterns in eyes, looking for some proof that … Continue reading I ORIGINS
Mood Indigo is a simple story of a boy and a girl. The boy is Colin (Romain Duris), 30-something, single, and independently wealthy. He lives in a fantastic apartment, practically pulsating with life. He lives with Nicholas (Omar Sy), his confidant … Continue reading MOOD INDIGO
Two sisters have left Poland and joined the huddled masses seeking the freedom that America offers. Their quest will not be an easy one, as one of the sisters, Magda (Angela Sarafyan), has tuberculosis and must be quarantined. The other … Continue reading THE IMMIGRANT
The Double, an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s 1866 novella, is brought to the screen via writer/director Richard Ayoade and co-screenwriter Avi Korine. What Ayoade and Korine get right is Dostoyevsky’s impending sense of doom. No one is going to walk … Continue reading THE DOUBLE
Jenny (Anna Kendrick) is down on her luck and has decided to move in with her brother, Jeff (Joe Swanberg), his wife, Kelly (Melanie Lynskey), and their toddler (Jude—the director’s son). It seems like a good idea for all three … Continue reading HAPPY CHRISTMAS
Since his 1991 debut, Slacker, writer/director Richard Linklater has quietly become the most reflective director in American cinema. In the documentary Double Play: Jack Benning and Richard Linklater (Gabe Klinger, 2013), Linklater casually outlines his philosophical thesis: “I think ultimately the most interesting view … Continue reading BOYHOOD
The 1925 Buster Keaton classic Go West opens, “Some people travel through life making friends wherever they go, while others—just travel through life.” When Keaton traveled, he sauntered, adorned by his flattened porkpie hat and too-short tie. Dubbed “The Great Stone Face,” … Continue reading GO WEST
Michael J. Cinema 
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