All in Spouse Approved
Alan Rickman's A LITTLE CHAOS
Don’t come to this movie expecting a typical costume drama about a royal romance in late 17th century France.
Isabel Coixet's LEARNING TO DRIVE
Every now and then it is nice to see an adult film about relationships and interesting characters. Learning to Drive scratches that itch.
Morten Tyldum’s THE IMITATION GAME
The Imitation Game might oversimplify at times but it does represent the work of real people and that’s a good thing for modern audiences to see.
Wes Anderson's THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Highly entertaining, consistently funny, and quite charming overall with a healthy dose of craziness.
Dustin Hoffman's QUARTET
It’s a feel-good movie beautifully produced with a heart and a conscience.
Roger Michell's HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON
Does FDR come through as a major cad in how he relates to women? Absolutely. But also portrayed is how the women respond and adjust while still managing to pull strings. It’s a fascinating view of a time and place and reminds us that these gods of our history were human too.
Toa Fraser's DEAN SPANLEY
When all is said and done, though, this is Peter O’Toole’s movie. The sensitivity of his performance is amazing to watch. We are fortunate to have a record of such performances
Sandra Nettelbeck's LAST LOVE
What an engaging movie this is. Slow, deliberate, and ultimately, complex.
Sarah Polley’s “STORIES WE TELL”
Sarah Polley’s STORIES WE TELL is an exploration of how truth and memory interact in subtle and subjective ways about one family’s past history.
Jake Schreier's ROBOT AND FRANK
This is a character driven movie about the near future that tightly focuses on an elderly retired jewel thief who lives by himself in a semi-rural but well-to-do community. His son, concerned about the old man’s mental deterioration, purchases a humanoid style robot to serve as a companion and caregiver.
Christian Vincent's HAUTE CUISINE
Prepare to learn something about truffles, cabbage, and salmon!
Robert Zemeckis' FLIGHT
A lot has been written about the harrowing plane crash flight. Yep, it’s pretty harrowing, but I’ll still hold of World War Z, Numbers, and Pitch Black is having comparable crash sequences.
Benh Zeitlin's BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
I’m glad I saw this film, it’s a pleasure to see something that’s grounded in reality but sufficiently fantastic to the point where the dividing line between the two becomes blurred.
The Coen Brothers' TRUE GRIT
Readers of my book and movie review will know about my occasional hankering for a Western. It’s no surprise I was looking forward to this movie especially given my positive reaction to my recent discovery of the novel.
Daniel Barber's HARRY BROWN
In my book, Michael Caine can do no wrong — this vigilante movie is another example.
Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH
Excellent film.
The Polish Brothers' NORTHFORK
This is a beautiful, entrancing, enigmatic, and mesmerizing movie about death.
Saul Dibb's THE DUCHESS
I’m a sucker for 18th Century costume dramas, especially if part of the time is spent in sailing ships. This one, despite being landlocked, is heads above most.
David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
The special effects are the most impressive I’ve seen since Peter Jackson’s King Kong.