American Splendor
{5/5} “Man, she’s got good lookin’ handwritin’.” Harvey Pekar is a file clerk who likes jazz and comics. After his friend Bob Crumb becomes a comic book writer and illustrator, Harvey decides to try it himself. He can’t draw, but Bob and others illustrate his stories for him. Harvey’s comics have no superheroes — they’re […]
Arlington Road
{4.5/5} “Never wiser than when we’re children. They say it and it’s true. We’ll never see things that clear again.” Michael is a professor who teaches a class on American terrorists. His wife, who worked for the CIA, died some time ago. He’s now going out with Brooke, a former grad student of his. After […]
The Andromeda Strain
{4/5} “Scientific research was much like prospecting: you went out and you hunted, armed with your maps and your instruments, but in the end your preparations did not matter, or even your intuition. You needed your luck, and whatever benefits accrued to the diligent, through sheer, grinding hard work.” When a satellite is brought down […]
Capitalism: A Love Story
{5/5} “This is capitalism, a system of taking and giving. Mostly taking. The only thing we didn’t know was when the revolt would begin.” In the US corporations have gained an absurd amount of control over the government. How did this happen? When the financial crisis happened, the banks were bailed out. Why didn’t the […]
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
{3/5} “I’m like a candy cane in a black and white movie.” Our favourite group of displaced zoo animals is still trying to get back home to New York. They find their way to Monte Carlo, where the penguins are winning big. An extremely efficient and dedicated animal control officer almost catches them, which leads them […]
Hitchers
{4.5/5} “My success came by standing on the shoulders of someone I hadn’t even liked, who had expressly forbidden me from doing what I did. On his death bed.” Finn’s wife Lorena was struck by lightning and died two years ago. Now he’s trying to date again, but it’s tough. Finn is a cartoonist — […]
Following
{4.5/5} “You watch somebody’s behaviour and it raises 100 000 questions. I wanted to answer those questions — I wanted to know what the answers were. And so I followed people to try and find out.” A would-be writer follows people around in order to get ideas for characters. He starts making up rules for […]
Happiness
{2.5/5} “I mean, we all have our… you know… pluses and minuses.” Trish is married to psychiatrist Bill and has three kids, Helen is a successful poet, and Joy has an unfulfilling telephone sales job. Allen is obsessed with Helen, his next door neighbour, but can’t bring himself to say more than hello to her. Trish, Helen, […]
Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes
{4.5/5} “There was something inside of man that made him want to destroy what he built. Alone among God’s primates he kills for sport or lust or greed. With each passing season, men found new ways to kill more of each other. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother’s land. And yet […]
Star Trek Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony
{4.5/5} “‘So far,’ Jean-Luc replied, ‘every move the Typhon Pact has made, regardless of the ultimate goal, has been carried out with deliberation and patience. Whatever they’re doing, it’s for a reason.’” Andor, one of the founding members of the Federation, was hit hard by the Borg and it’s facing a problem specific to their people — […]