10. Blue Ruin.  This deftly-constructed deconstruction of the Hatfields and McCoys narrative seemingly came out of nowhere.  Jeremy Saulnier had previously written and directed one feature film – the obscure horror/comedy Murder Party (2007) – in which former classmate and stay-at-home dad, Macon Blair, had a supporting role.  And yet, with Blue Ruin, Saulnier’s eye is as subtle and evocative ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  2   As an unabashed lover of Moonrise Kingdom (2012), I had some trepidation upon first viewing the trailer for The Grand Budapest Hotel, which was literally punctuated by a litany of A-list actors – many familiar to this particular stage (Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Jason Swartzman, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Owen ... Read More »