Selma (2014)

Posted on January 3, 2016
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Jan 03, 2016
by Mr. Nau

This masterpiece of historical drama presents the voting rights marches in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Though the events happened fifty years ago, this film feels absolutely contemporary. Ava DuVernay directs an enlightening piece at this period in the civil rights movement, drawing out phenomenal acting performances from the talented cast.

Grade: A+.

IMDB: Selma.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Posted on December 25, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 25, 2015
by Mr. Nau

The brutal First Order has taken control after the fall of the Galactic Empire. Everyone is looking for the last Jedi, Luke Skywalker. JJ Abrams directs this astonishing adventure with a plucky new hero, Rey, wounded sidekick, Finn, menacing villain, Kylo Ren, and familiar faces, like Han, Chewbacca and Leia.

Grade: A++.

Ira & Abby (2006)

Posted on December 21, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 21, 2015
by Mr. Nau

Chris Messina and Jennifer Westfeldt star in this quirky romantic comedy about a neurotic post-graduate aspiring psychologist who meets an eager free spirit and enters into a sudden dramatic marriage with her. Smart, funny, urbane writing and a talented, all-star cast make a fantasy full of hilarious situations.

Grade: A-.

IMDB: Ira & Abby.

Refuge (2012)

Posted on December 20, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 20, 2015
by Mr. Nau

Krysten Ritter and Brian Geraghty share palpable chemistry as Amy and Sam in this independent drama about a young woman who has to care for her younger siblings and an unemployed man trying to start over again. The story here is well-written and heartfelt, if sometimes hard to watch.

Grade: B.

IMDB: Refuge.

I Believe in Unicorns (2014)

Posted on December 20, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 20, 2015
by Mr. Nau

Young Davina is a high school student whose world is full of daydreams and fairytales. She enters into a relationship with an aloof skater, Sterling, who begins to treat her with increasing disdain and cruelty. Leah Meyerhoff’s writing and directing debut is a stark examination of dysfunctional relationship power dynamics.

Grade: B+.

Safelight (2015)

Posted on December 19, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 19, 2015
by Mr. Nau

This festival film brings us into the friendship of an introverted truck stop employee in the middle of nowhere and the young prostitute that works the lot. Despite a talented cast with endearing chemistry, many of the supporting characters were too unlikable and hard to believe to take very seriously.

Grade: C.

IMDB: Safelight.

Interstellar (2014)

Posted on December 17, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 17, 2015
by Mr. Nau

Earth is dying and most of the population have returned to an agrarian lifestyle. NASA has discovered a wormhole near Saturn and enlists a renegade pilot to fly a mission to find humanity a new home. An all-star cast gives us a thought-provoking thoroughly enjoyable science fiction adventure.

Grade: A+.

IMDB: Interstellar.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Posted on December 12, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 12, 2015
by Mr. Nau

The third installment of the Hobbit trilogy brings us to Lonely Mountain, a party of dwarves led by a mad king, and a possible alliance with elves and humans against an impending horde of orcs. With awe-inspiring battle sequences and a gigantic scope, this fantasy epic brings dazzling action.

Grade: A.

The Man in the High Castle (2015)

Posted on December 11, 2015
Filed Under TV | Leave a Comment

Dec 11, 2015
by Mr. Nau

This spectacular series, produced by Amazon and based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, imagines an America that lost World War II and is occupied by the Third Reich and Imperial Japan. A believable collection of characters try to evade capture while smuggling banned films into the neutral zone.

Grade: A+.

To Write Love on Her Arms (2012)

Posted on December 3, 2015
Filed Under Movies | Leave a Comment

Dec 03, 2015
by Mr. Nau

Kat Dennings believably tells the story of Renee Yohe, a young, depressed, self-harming addict who becomes the inspiration for an addiction recovery movement after reaching out to her friends for institutional help. To seek such rehabilition is a tough and deeply personal journey – one that is sometimes critically necessary.

Grade: B+.

keep looking »