2012 was an incredibly good year at the movies. Looking back at the almost 200 films I saw that were released this calendar year, many were in contention for this list. But in the end, there can be only 10. These ten films, ranked in reverse order, are the ones that most stuck with me…
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This morning Megan Fox, Ed Helms, and Jessica Alba announced the nominations for the 2013 Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the event, is famous for nominating films and performances simply based on their star factor -- if there's an actor that members of the HFPA want to hang out with,…
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Hilarious, charming and heartwarming, The Sessions is one of the best films of the year. It's the true story of Mark O’Brien (John Hawkes), a California-based journalist relegated to a gurney and iron lung because of disabling polio. At the age of 38, he’s still a virgin and, with the blessing of his priest (William H. Macy), Mark…
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Note: This is a reprint of my review of The Sessions, formerly The Surrogate, upon its premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. I've changed the name of the film below, but left everything else remains intact. It opens on a limited basis today and is truly one of the year's most special films. With…
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The story of a guy trying hard to get laid for the first time has been told and told again in many an R-rated comedy, but Ben Lewin's The Sessions isn't American Pie or even The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Instead, it's a truth-based drama that's garnering serious Oscar buzz for its star, John Hawkes. The Martha Marcy May…
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