Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?): 9    I resisted designating Ex Machina as my favorite film of the year, seeing as how I had picked its kinder gentler sister (Her) for the top spot only two years ago, but resistance is futile … “When God created the first man alone, God said ‘It is not ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  3    To be sure, The Force Awakens is not just a movie; it is the beginning of the third chapter in the ultimate film franchise, and it is being released in an era where franchising is king.  As such, the long-awaited return of Star Wars inevitably presents some rather ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?): 4 Writer/director J.C. Chandor burst onto the scene with Margin Call (2011), which dramatized a 24-hour period in 2008 when the major players at a New York brokerage firm realized (or could no longer ignore) that they had built their house of cards on snake oil.  ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?)  4   With only the slightest bit of soft focus, writers/directors Joel and Ethan Coen take us back to the Greenwich Village folk scene circa 1961 to get Inside Llewyn Davis.  Solo singer/guitarist Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) finds himself with one foot in the future and one foot in the past.  As a sad wanderer, he is acutely attuned to the freedoms ... Read More »