Category Archives: Independent Drama

2013 Films, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Independent Romantic Comedy, Romantic Comedy

Don Jon-2013

Leave a comment

Don Jon-2013

Director Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julianne Moore

Scott’s Review #27

70267239

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: B+

 I did not expect Don Jon (2013) to be as good as it is.

Frankly, I was expecting a by-the-numbers romantic comedy.

Written, directed by, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it tells the story of a twenty-something New Jersey bartender who is addicted to porn despite receiving all the female attention he can imagine.

Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore play two completely different women in his life.

The film contains stereotypical, though hilarious and spot-on, New Jersey trademarks. Tony Danza is effective as the brash father.

In the last thirty minutes, the film turns into a wonderful, yet hardly sappy or traditional, love story that makes Don Jon (2013) a positive experience.

Gordon-Levitt is a breath of fresh air and a young Hollywood talent getting his due.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best First Screenplay

1998 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Romance, New York City

High Art-1998

Leave a comment

High Art-1998

Director Lisa Cholodenko

Starring Ally Sheedy, Radha Mitchell

Scott’s Review #21

60035062

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

Superlative indie drama by acclaimed director Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right, 2008) and an incredible performance by Ally Sheedy, who makes viewers forget all her past, forgettable “80’s roles”.

She portrays a lonely, drug-abusing, star photographer, enamored with a new neighbor in her New York City apartment building.

Her life is spiraling out of control, and she is inspired by her new friend, who is on an upward career path.

The film is a dark love story with a raw, moody quality. It’s a raw, emotional, mesmerizing film.

Patricia Clarkson is her usual awesome self as Sheedy’s even more drugged-out, unhappy partner.

The love triangle is interesting and painful.

The three leads (Sheedy, Clarkson, and Radha Mitchell) all give knockout performances, but the film belongs solely to Ally Sheedy, who is spectacular.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Female Lead-Ally Sheedy (won), Best Supporting Female-Patricia Clarkson, Best First Screenplay, Best First Feature, Best Cinematography

2012 Films, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films

Four-2012

Leave a comment

Four-2012

Director Joshua Sanchez

Starring Wendell Pierce

Scott’s Review #20

70245240

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

Oh, how I wish there were more films like Four (2012) and they received mainstream support.

Movies like this are why I love and support independent films. Much better than much of the drivel at the local multiplex.

Four is a purely character-driven movie, not at all plot-driven with silly special effects or CGI.

It centers around four people on the 4th of July evening. There are two separate stories and the heart of the movie is the character’s loneliness, isolation, and need to reach out for human connections.

The stories interrelate at times throughout the film.

Exceptional acting is involved.

Four (2012) is an excellent little film.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Male Lead-Wendell Pierce

2013 Films, Art, Best International Film Oscar Winners, Independent, Independent Drama, International, International Drama, Italian

The Great Beauty-2013

Leave a comment

The Great Beauty-2013

Director Paolo Sorrentino

Starring Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone

Scott’s Review #16

70275597

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: A

The Great Beauty is an Italian film and winner of the 2013 Best Foreign Language Oscar and, in my opinion, well deserved.

The film is hardly conventional- it is thoughtful, character-driven, and quite Fellini-influenced.

It takes some time to get into- the first thirty minutes are mostly people dancing and partying wildly.

Set in present-day Rome, it tells the story of a successful sixty-five-year-old journalist who reflects on his life, past and present.

The themes of loss and loneliness are explored, and while cynical, are not a downer.

Quite the contrary, as one party after another, is thrown and the nightlife and excesses of Rome are the centerpieces.

A main aspect of The Great Beauty is that all the money and success in the world do not measure happiness something that many people forget.

The main character loses people close to him and many of his wealthy friends are bored and alone. This film is about life and its complexities.

It left me thinking long after the credits rolled and is a huge testament to its power. Rarely, a film like this comes along any longer.

I felt like I was watching a masterpiece.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Foreign Language Film (won)

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best International Film

2013 Films, Adventure, Drama, Independent, Independent Adventure, Independent Drama

All is Lost-2013

Leave a comment

All is Lost-2013

Director J.C. Chandor

Starring Robert Redford

Scott’s Review #4

70266673

Reviewed June 16, 2014

Grade: D

The accolades heaped on All is Lost from 2013 escape me.

Some felt that this was Robert Redford’s late-in-life masterpiece. I’ve never found him to be a great talent as an actor, and while not horrible in this film, it is not the Oscar-worthy performance being bandied about.

Many actors would play this role better- Tom Hanks and Sean Penn come to mind.

Beyond the performance, facets of the film remain unexplained. How did he become shipwrecked? Why did ships pass by not noticing him? Who is he?

Much of the movie drags and a feeling of having seen this film many times before kept gnawing at me. I do give the film credit for containing only one cast member.

But castaway and shipwreck movies have been around since the beginning. They all have the standard plot developments- broken equipment, sharks, and storms, which makes it quite contrived.

Fail.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Feature, Best Director-J.C. Chandor, Best Male Lead-Robert Redford, Best Cinematography