Inspired opening, tedious follow-up
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons, Ciarán Hinds, Matthias Schoenaerts, Joely Richardson, Mary-Louise Parker, Charlotte Rampling
Director: Francis Lawrence
Based upon the book by Jason Matthews
Writer: Justin Haythe
Cinematographer: Jo Willems
Editor: Alan Edward Bell
Composer: James Newton Howard
Good acting, good drama / “The interrogation scenes, between Alice and a detective played by Elizabeth Banks, explore the social disadvantages of a fat woman with a stark bluntness that’s unheard of in a popular cinema” writes Chuck Bowen.
Cast: Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning, Danielle Macdonald
Director: Amy Berg
Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener
Novel: Laura Lippman
Director of Photography: Rob Hardy
Editor: Ron Patane, Billy McMillin
Excellent acting, fantastic camera, great dynamics in dialogues and music…
Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Pena, Elisabeth Röhm
Director: David O. Russell
Screenplay by Eric Singer
Music by Danny Elfman
Cinematography by Linus Sandgren
Film Editing by Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers
Cast: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Scott Z. Burns
Music by Thomas Newman
Cinematography by Steven Soderbergh
Film Editing by Steven Soderbergh
Good use of space, great acting, theatrical (unity of space, time and action)
Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Timothy Spall
Director: Sally Potter
Writer: Sally Potter
Cinematographer: Aleksei Rodionov
Editor: Emilie Orsini, Anders Refn
First feature
Confusing the codes between victim-perpetrator-witness, artist and subject…
Cast: Mireille Enos, Sam Shepard, Goran Visnjic
Director: Camille Thoman
Writers: Camille Thoman
Music by James Lavino
Cinematography by Sebastian Winterø
Film Editing by Jon Berry, Walter Fasano, Robin Hill, Camille Thoman
Cast: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan
Written and Directed by Lana & Lilly Wachowski
Music by Don Davis
Cinematography by Bill Pope
Film Editing by Zach Staenberg
So many layers, so rich in visual surprises! As Roger Ebert put it, citing Churchill: “it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”
Cast: Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks
Directors: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Writers: David Mitchell (novel); Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Lilly Wachowski
Music by Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek, Tom Tykwer
Cinematography by Frank Griebe, John Toll
Film Editing by Alexander Berner, Claus Wehlisch
An exceptional success at mixing comedy and drama / Rich representations of minorities, excellent dialogues
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Caleb Landry Jones, Kathryn Newton, Clarke Peters
Director: Martin McDonagh
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Cinematographer: Ben Davis
Editor: Jon Gregory
Composer: Carter Burwell
Writing in pair: man + woman directing
Good music, excellent acting, great tension build-up on a somewhat weak scenario
Cast: Sophie Reid, Allison Tolman, JoBeth Williams, Luis Bordonada, Tanner Beard
Director: Jason Cortlund, Julia Halperin
Writer: Jason Cortlund
Cinematographer: Jonathan Nastasi
Composer: Chris Brokaw