Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 27,2011

Quiet and assured, Way delivers worthwhile message

I’m always a bit leery about films that are intent on delivering a “message.” Rarely are movies like this done with any semblance of tact or subtlety as the filmmakers behind them be

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 20,2011

A derivative, misguided Thing

By Chuck Koplinski

I came to Matthijs van Heijningen’s The Thing with a bit of trepidation. This is the third go-around for this shape-shifting alien tale and both of the previous versions are considered classics

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 20,2011

The Big Year, light but heady

By Chuck Koplinski

There’s a subculture of people known as birders who engage in a rather unique competition each year. This informal contest is quite simple and a bit antiquated in execution as it involves sighti

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 13,2011

This Steel is rusty

By Chuck Koplinski

I have to admit that upon seeing the trailer for Real Steel, my inner 10-year-old perked up and said, “Wow, that looks cool!” Perhaps my reaction was rooted in the fact that my parents nev

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 6,2011

Ides tells familiar tale well

By Chuck Koplinski

As adapted from the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, George Clooney’s The Ides of March contains little new in the way of radical social ideas or clever narrative twists. It covers ground t

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, October 6,2011

Dream House offers a poignant look at madness

By Chuck Koplinski

Walking in to see Jim Sheridan’s Dream House, my expectations were less than high. The film was not screened in advance for critics – never a good sign – and the trailer for the film

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, September 29,2011

Moneyball, a fascinating look at baseball economics

By Chuck Koplinski

Coming off a successful season in 2001, Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane was faced with a daunting task. Having made it to the playoffs but losing his best players to free agency soon aft

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, September 22,2011

Drive has more than fast cars

By Chuck Koplinski

A darling at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Nicolas Refn’s Drive comes stateside as a bit of an oddball that its distributor is selling short. On the surface, this appears to be a slick

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, September 15,2011

Sarah’s Key a poignant tribute to

By Chuck Koplinski

Combining an intriguing mystery with a moving historical account of a forgotten chapter from World War II, Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s Sarah’s Key is an ambitious emotional epic that succeeds

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, September 15,2011

I Don’t Know does it with charm

By Chuck Koplinski

The promise of the women’s liberation movement was that women everywhere would be able to have it all. Being a mother, wife and having a career would all be within their reach, once male percept