Haiku Review: August: Osage County (2013)

Starring: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Abigail Breslin & Benedict Cumberbatch
Written by Tracy Letts
Directed by John Wells

After their patriarch goes missing, a dysfunctional family reunites and finds themselves once again at odds with each other and their cancer-stricken, pill-addled mother.


A family so
messed up that incest is the
least of its problems.

Grade: B-


c2014
By Daniel J. Hoag
August: Osage County is playing now in theaters nationwide.
IMDb

 

Haiku Review: Nebraska (2013)

Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk & Stacy Keach
Written by Bob Nelson
Directed by Alexander Payne

A man reluctantly escorts his aging, alcoholic father to Nebraska when the old man becomes convinced that he’s won a million dollars in a sweepstakes.


ATTENTION! YOU MAY
(leave feeling like you) HAVE WON
A MILLION DOLLARS!

Grade: A-


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
Nebraska is playing now in select cities.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821549/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Haiku Review: Wadjda (2103)

Starring: Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah & Ahd
Written & directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour

A young Saudi girl wants to raise money for a bicycle but finds only discouragement in the religious and political culture around her.


You can’t keep a good
woman down – but whole cultures
sure keep on trying.

Grade: A-


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
Wadjda is playing now in select cities.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2258858/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Haiku Review: Broken City (2013)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Pepper, Alona Tal, Natalie Martinez & Kyle Chandler
Written by Brian Tucker
Directed by Allen Hughes

An ex-cop is hired by a corrupt mayor to discover the identity of his wife’s lover.


It’s not great, but let’s
be grateful that Russell Crowe
doesn’t sing in this.

Grade: C+


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
Broken City is available on Blu-ray and DVD on 4/30/13.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235522/

Haiku Review: This Is 40 (2012)

Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks & Melissa McCarthy
Written and directed by Judd Apatow

As they both turn 40, struggling married couple Pete and Debbie must figure out how to balance romance, careers, parents and children.


I’d have rather watched
two hours of Albert Brooks
in This Is 60.

Grade: B


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
This Is 40 is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1758830/?ref_=sr_2

Haiku Review: To Rome with Love (2012)

Starring: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page & Alison Pill
Written and directed by Woody Allen

A series of comedic and romantic vignettes set in the city of Rome.


As in his films, it
can be easy to fall out
of love with Woody.

Grade: C


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
To Rome with Love is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1859650/?ref_=sr_1

The Haiku Review’s Best Movies of 2012

It’s Oscar weekend, which means it’s once again time for The Haiku Review to reveal its best films of last year. And thanks to Ben Affleck, waterboarding, vengeful slaves, a French pillow, and one exceedingly incompetent fast-food restaurant staff, 2012 turned out to be a fantastic time at the cinema. So without further ado, here are the ten best movies of the year.

Haiku Review: Amour (2012)

Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva & Isabelle Huppert
Written and directed by Michael Haneke

An elderly man struggles to care for his wife after her health begins to deteriorate.


It’s like Up, but the
first scene lasts two hours and
there are no balloons.

Grade: A


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
Amour is playing now in select cities.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602620/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Haiku Review: End of Watch (2012)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez & America Ferrera
Written and directed by David Ayer

Two Los Angeles police officers find themselves in danger when they stumble upon a violent drug cartel.


I don’t remember
any cops on Cops looking
like Jake Gyllenhaal.

Grade: B+


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
End of Watch is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855199/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

(Blu) Haiku Review: Natural Selection (2012)

Starring: Rachael Harris, Matt O’Leary, Jon Gries & John Diehl
Written and directed by Robbie Pickering

After her husband falls ill, a devout Christian housewife sets out to find the long-lost son he fathered many years ago.


If you’re an “every
sperm is sacred” guy, this film’s
got loopholes for you!

Grade: B-


c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
Natural Selection is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1621426/