M. Abby Joseph
M. Abby Joseph writes professional film reviews and articles highlighting healing and self-discovery. To request an article or film review, contact M. Abby Joseph.
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Displaying Results 1 - 94 (of 94) for All Content
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Water for Elephants ****Beyond the big top, life is hell at Benzini Brothers Greatest Show on Earth. Animals are fed rotting meat and work until they collapse. Humans subsist on hooch and three squares. A madman drives this circus.
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Soul Surfer ***1/2The comeback of surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a 2003 shark attack, is filled with belief, love and ecstasy. On her website, Bethany quotes Bible verses. She knows what it is like to rely on God alone.
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The Conspirator ****A moment of history richly imagined by Robert Redford, The Conspirator is less about Mary Surratt, and more about the controversy around her and American ideals of liberty following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
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Arthur ***"Money is for creating excitement and joy," says happy-go-lucky, miserable Arthur (Russell Brand). The words ring hollow in this unfunny remake about a man and his bottle.
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The Music Never Stopped ****An ode to music, memory and healing, indie drama The Music Never Stopped features songs of The Grateful Dead and other classic rockers within a father-son reunion tale. Jim Kohlberg's directorial debut is moving and timely.
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Insidious ****1/2Murky monsters. Out-of-body travel. A kid in a coma. Deliciously weird Insidious thrills us through the final violin note. It's carefully crafted horror and suspense without visceral violence from the team who brought us Saw.
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Born to Be Wild 3D ****In honor of Earth Week 2011, Warner Brothers has released the Imax nature documentary Born to Be Wild 3D. There's much here to make us smile and to fascinate children and adults.
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The Last Lions ****A love letter to the lions of Africa, The Last Lions is a vivid, heart-wrenching look at daily survival for the endangered, magnificent big cats. Wildlife conservationist filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert infuse this lush documentary with advocacy.
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Hanna ****1/2A freak claims her identity and kicks serious butt in the action thriller Hanna. Saoirse Ronan, the sweet, wide-eyed dead girl of The Lovely Bones and young Briony in Atonement, stars as the dispassionate hunter.
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Source Code ***1/2Will someone please find a good movie for Jake Gyllenhaal to star in? The talented actor plays Captain Colter Stevens in the anticlimactic sci-fi thriller Source Code. Source Code is a should-have-been-better movie with a Groundhog Day-like plot.
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Win Win *****Win Win's comedy reminds us of The Blind Side minus the melodrama. Paul Giamatti plays a struggling storefront lawyer and wrestling coach who learns about honesty from a teen sports prodigy.
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Jane Eyre *****Mia Wasikowska updates classic heroine Jane Eyre with passion and aplomb in Cary Fukunaga's remake of the Charlotte Bronte novel.
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Certified Copy ***Intellectual banter turns cat and mouse in the ambiguous art-house film Certified Copy. Modernist Iranian Abbas Kiarostami directs.
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Sucker Punch **Emily Browning fights back in the violent, psychosexual teen odyssey Sucker Punch. Wrongly imprisoned in an insane asylum, Babydoll convinces four other inmates to overcome their fears and escape with her.
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Limitless ****Bradley Cooper wins love, money and success - for a price - in the fast-paced mind-bender Limitless.
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Red Riding Hood ***Red Riding Hood grows up as Amanda Seyfried plays the luscious maiden who carries both dagger and picnic basket.
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The Lincoln Lawyer ***Matthew McConaughey is so money as a charming, sleazy defense attorney in the entertaining whodunit The Lincoln Lawyer.
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Of Gods and Men *****Seven French monks face death as civil war sweeps through a mountain village in Of Gods and Men. Xavier Beauvois directs the true life drama which won Best Film at the Cesar Awards (France's Oscars).
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Love & Other Drugs ***1/2Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway fall into lust and love in the thought-provoking dramedy Love & Other Drugs. Youth, good luck and ambition rule as Jamie Randall (Gyllenhaal) embarks on a new career in pharmaceutical sales.
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2012 *****Earth shifts big-time as humanity scrambles in the terrifying adventure drama 2012. Geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is ordered to the President's office when he discovers that impending global changes will happen in a matter of hours.
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Morning Glory *****In laugh out loud comedy Morning Glory, Rachel McAdams could charm anyone as the new executive producer of the sinking infotainment show Daybreak.
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Hereafter *****Three characters are determined in their fascination with the afterlife, even when they want to run from it. Matt Damon stars in Hereafter, a passionate exploration of life after death. Clint Eastwood directs.
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The Next Three Days ****An English teacher turns criminal when his wife is imprisoned for a murder she did not commit in The Next Three Days, Paul Haggis' remake of Pour Elle (2008). Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks star.
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Even the Rain ****A movie about social injustice is filmed as history repeats itself in the political drama Even the Rain. Nominated for 13 Goya awards (Spain's Oscar), the movie within a movie is directed by former actress Iciar Bollain.
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Waiting for Superman ***Waiting for Superman advocates education reform as it blames teachers' unions for what ails American education. Provocative, heart-rending and well-made, this documentary continues to spark fierce debate.
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Nora's Will ***A man battles his dead ex-wife in the poignant dramedy Nora's Will, winner of seven Ariels (Mexico's Oscar). A bit like Hereafter, this Best Film and Original Screenplay winner features more warmth and quiet drama.
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The Adjustment Bureau ***1/2Free will is at stake as Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star in The Adjustment Bureau, a sci-fi thriller with a passionate but predictable romance. Inception meets The Bourne Identity in this visually handsome film.
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The Eagle ****The Eagle explores an ancient Roman mystery, the disappearance of the Ninth Roman Legion '" 5,000 men '" in what is now Scotland. Emperor Hadrian retaliated when he ordered Hadrian's Wall built across Britain to isolate its fierce northern tribes.
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The Messenger ****Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery (Ben Foster), a decorated war hero returned from Iraq, is assigned to work as a Casualty Notification Officer (CNO), where he will face the aftermath of death again, this time whenever his pager goes off.
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Get Low ***1/2Felix Bush is throwing a funeral party, and he's the guest of honor. Robert Duvall plays a country hermit with a secret in the wry indie drama Get Low.
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Top 10 Steps to Healing for Best Actor Colin Firth in the King's SpeechColin Firth plays a humiliated King George VI who fears that he will not be able to fulfill his new role as World War II approaches. His new speech coach Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) will help.
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Top 10 Steps to Self-Discovery for Best Actress Natalie Portman in Black SwanIn real life, Natalie Portman fell in love with co-star and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The two are engaged and expecting their first child, a boy, this year.
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The King's Speech *****The King's Speech swept many prizes. Colin Firth is nominated for Best Actor. He also won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for this role.
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Black Swan *****Ballerina Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) has sacrificed her childhood, mind, body and soul to the dance. Now she is keenly focused on the coveted Swan Queen role in Swan Lake.
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127 Hours *****James Franco becomes a force of nature on equal footing with wind, sun, earth and water. Convincingly he plays a cocky 27-year-old who doesn't tell anyone where he's biking and climbing that weekend.
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The Kids Are All Right *****Director Lisa Cholodenko melds female and male, new and traditional. When a filmmaker gives her characters the freedom to go all out, letting the story tell itself, it shows true maturity and mastery.
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Just Go with it ***The bigger the lies, the more ridiculous the situations that entangle deadpan plastic surgeon Adam Sandler (Danny Maccabee) and his trusty office manager Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) in this light romantic comedy.
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Cedar Rapids ****Tim (The Daily Show's Ed Helms) hangs out with irresistible party guy Dean Ziegler (artfully played by boisterous John C. Reilly), the very salesman that his uptight boss Bill (Stephen Root) warned him to stay away from.
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Barney's Version ****Paul Giamatti brings to life a witty, vain and frustrated romantic in the sardonic comedy Barney's Version. The actor won a Golden Globe for this performance (Comedy/Musical), but was passed over for an Oscar nomination.
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Unknown ***Who is Dr. Martin Harris and why do shady characters pursue him? Liam Neeson explores identity, good and evil in the international mystery thriller Unknown. Neeson and an excellent cast enliven this suspenseful B movie.
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The Illusionist ****A gentle farce, The Illusionist stars a tall, stately magician with a traveling show. He resembles famed French comedian Jacques Tati.
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Biutiful ***1/2Javier Bardem plays a street hustler and devoted father in Biutiful, nominated for Best Foreign Film. Bardem's own Oscar nod marks the first time that a performance entirely in Spanish is nominated for the Best Actor prize.
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Sanctum ****The underwater cave-diving adventure Sanctum features image-acquisition 3-D technology that made executive producer James Cameron famous for Avatar. As 3-D movie technology continues to develop, Cameron's digital clarity is the good stuff. -
The Other Woman ***1/2The Other Woman features Natalie Portman as Emilia, a new wife and mother to a neurotic, eight-year-old stepson William (remarkably good Charlie Tahan). In order for the marriage to work, she's got to win over the kid.
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I'm Still Here **1/2From actor to rapper? Questioning life and his role in it, Joaquin Phoenix plumbs his purpose and recreates himself in I'm Still Here, a mockumentary presented as a year-in-the-life documentary.
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The Company Men ****Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper strive to let go of the "you are what you do" mindset as they recreate themselves and act boldly after losing their jobs.
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Another Year ****Happiness is the subject in Mike Leigh's warm, wise ensemble dramedy Another Year.
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Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ****Gordon Gekko becomes the conscience of Wall Street '" sort of '" in Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
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Somewhere ****Tinseltown gazes at its navel in Sofia Coppola's fascinating, minimalist indie drama Somewhere.
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Movie Review: Casino Jack ***The perks and woes of wealth are many for lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his sidekick Michael Scanlon.
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Movie Review: Mademoiselle Chambon ****What the teacher awakens in Jean is not only sexual, but an acknowledgement of his mind and gentle philosophy.
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Blue Valentine ****1/2Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling take awesome risks to ignite the love story at the heart of their present-day, sad relationship. Gosling almost leaps off a bridge, and Williams bares all making love to a man she no longer loves.
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Movie Review: Rabbit Hole *****Fascinating from start to finish, Rabbit Hole stars Nicole Kidman as a mother dealing with the loss of her son in alarming and sometimes bizarre ways.
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Please GivePlease Give Review: Nicole Holofcener shows the interplay between two Manhattan families, reflecting America's uneasy balance of wealth and poverty. Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) are a wealthy couple.
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Dennis Hopper Retrospective: Carried AwayReview: Carried Away. Dennis Hopper and Amy Irving play rural Texas schoolteachers who experience sexual awakening in mid-life. Hopper died May 29.
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Dennis Hopper Retrospective: Blue VelvetBlue Velvet explores sex, power and violence in a small town with deep secrets. Dennis Hopper died May 29.
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Dennis Hopper Retrospective: HoosiersDennis Hopper was nominated as Best Supporting Actor in Hoosiers, a basketball drama where he delivers the most family-friendly role of his career. Hopper died May 29.
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Movie Review: Iron Man 2Review: Dramatic tension sets up early as we discover that the nuclear powered device keeping Tony Stark alive is also poisoning him. Only the discovery of a new element strong enough to power it will save Iron Man.
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Movie Review: AjamiReview: The Israeli drama Ajami shows what it's really like to live in Israel and Palestine today. It immerses us in a frenetic string of desperate, heart-breaking episodes.
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Movie Review: The JonesesLightweight Indie dramedy The Joneses romps through guerilla marketing and the true yearnings of the soul. David Duchovny and Demi Moore play Steve and Kate Jones, a virtual husband and wife.
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Movie Review: It's ComplicatedReview: It's Complicated. We first meet Jane and Jake Adler (Streep and Baldwin) at a party. Jake is soon joined by his second wife, the slithery young Agness (Lake Bell). What Jane doesn't know yet is that Jake has renewed interest in her.
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Movie Review: The LosersReview: Comic book superheroes come to life in The Losers, a lightweight action thriller where spitfire Zoe Saldana (Avatar) brawls with the best. Buff tough guys leap into danger with smart-alecky abandon. -
Movie Review: The City of Your Final DestinationReview: The City of Your Final Destination, is a James Ivory drama that wallows in languid reverie and private little wars. Despite beautiful dialogue, acting and cinematography, the film is disjointed and cries out for fresh treatment.
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Movie Review: The Young VictoriaReview: A surprisingly fresh love story lies at the heart of The Young Victoria, a drama about the early years of Great Britain's longest ruling monarch. Jean Marc-Vallee directs this delightful look at a quietly determined, opinionated Victoria.
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Movie Review: The Lovely BonesReview: Murdered Susie Salmon lingers in limbo to avenge her own killer in The Lovely Bones, a very good adaptation of Alice Sebold's strange, captivating novel by the same name. Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings) directs. -
Movie Review: Summer HoursReview: The first half hour exults with Chekhovian scenes of play, chaos and love. It's an annual reunion at the estate of Helene (Edith Scob) on her 75th birthday. Children concoct adventures as they run screaming through fields and gardens.
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Movie Review: OceansReview: From the directors of Oscar-nominated Winged Migration Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, the nature documentary Oceans captures grandeur undersea and onshore. Four years in the making, it explores all five world oceans.
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Movie Review: AvatarReview: The awe is back. Avatar, the Oscar-winning sci-fi fantasy thriller from director James Cameron, transforms science fiction cinema with impressive 3D technologies and a moving story.
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Movie Review: Green Zone ****Matt Damon plays a tough, smart American soldier trying to do right under dubious circumstances in the war action thriller Green Zone.
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Movie Review: WelcomeReview: Welcome's release touched off a firestorm in France, where strict policies and a maximum five-year jail term face any citizen convicted of aiding illegal immigrants. Philippe Lioret, however, claims that his film is about love.
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Movie Review: City IslandReview: City Island, a mostly Italian-American fishing village in the Bronx, is marked by the Rizzo family's strong ties and passions writ large. Each Rizzo harbors a secret, with a resulting clash of lies.
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Movie Review: Pirate RadioReview: Pirate Radio, a shaggy British comedy based on real events, rocks with great songs from Grace Slick, the Rolling Stones and the Kinks. Too bad it's a drag-drag-drag.
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Movie Review: A ProphetReview: Skinny, polite Malik, shivering nude at prison check-in, could be a poster boy for at-risk youth. Tahar Rahim stars as a good boy about to be schooled in murder in the gritty prison drama A Prophet.
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Movie Review: The Ghost WriterReview: As The Ghost Writer opens, a body washes up onshore not far from the Martha's Vineyard hideaway of a former British Prime Minister. 76-year-old Director Roman Polanski directs this moody political thriller.
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Movie Review: Coco Before ChanelReview: Audrey Tatou forges a single-minded path to love and fortune in the rich, sensuous French biopic Coco Before Chanel.
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Movie Review: The CoveReview: Bloody waters churn within a cove after a dolphin massacre in Taiji, Japan. Viewers may never forget this image and more in Best Documentary The Cove.
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Movie Review: PreciousReview: Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) is a viciously abused teen who is obese, nearly illiterate, and pregnant for the second time by her father in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.
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Movie Review: Crazy HeartReview: Jeff Bridges sings from his soul as Bad Blake in the drama Crazy Heart. Blake's gigs across the Southwest, including a bowling alley, reveal a barren landscape of disappointment, self-loathing and shame.
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Movie Review: A Call GirlReview: A Call Girl opens as 23-year-old Aleksandra arrives at a hotel room only to find her scheduled customer is having a heart attack. A prostitute with a conscience, she calls hotel security before escaping.
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Move Review: The Blind SideReview: Best Actress Sandra Bullock redefines Christianity and motherhood in this heart-tugging drama based on a true story. The Blind Side features a touching portrayal of Michael Oher by NFL offensive lineman Quinton Aaron.
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Movie Review: Up in the AirReview: Snappy dialogue, great comedy and a message for our time - "Be yourself, dare to be up in the air" - in Jason Reitman's romantic drama Up in the Air. Best Actor nominee George Clooney plays a lonely termination specialist.
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Movie Review: An EducationCarey Mulligan is being hailed as the next big star for her radiant character Jenny, a 16-year-old drawn to a man almost twice her age in An Education. Lone Scherfig directs.
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Movie Review: Sherlock HolmesGolden Globe winner Robert Downey Jr. marries heart and mind in this update of the Sherlock Holmes action thriller. Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) directs.
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Movie Review: StormA prosecutor and war crimes victim seek justice in Storm, an intense German political thriller from Hans-Christian Schmid. Storm has been nominated for five German Academy Awards (aka the Lolas) including Best Film and Best Director.
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Movie Review: WhaledreamersThe Mirning (Whaledreamers) are displaced from their ancient land near the Bight of South Australia. Native leaders gather from around the globe to share story, ceremony, dance and drumming.
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Movie Review: Clash of the TitansTop billing must go to digital animators and special effects wizards for Clash of the Titans, a majestic, epic quest filled with slimy monsters, heroic humans and Greek gods. Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) directs.
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Movie Review: Shutter IslandMartin Scorsese has created a noir classic in the mind bending drama Shutter Island. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo star as U.S. marshalls who are called in after a psychopath escapes from her secure cell.
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Movie Review: The Hurt LockerBest Director Kathryn Bigelow redefines the war movie in the adrenaline-filled action thriller The Hurt Locker. By zooming in on each mission of a bomb squad in Iraq, Bigelow creates agonizing suspense and human interest.
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Movie Review: The RunawaysThe much-anticipated coming-of-age punk drama The Runaways captures the vibe of an all-girl rock band smashing gender barriers in the 1970s. Dakota Fanning plays Bardot-lookalike Cherie Currie, and Kristen Stewart plays punk rocker Joan Jett.
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Movie Review: Date NightTwo master comedians, Tina Fey and Steve Carell, make Date Night a better-than-average screwball comedy. Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen) directs. Carell and Fey deliver great dialogue and perfectly executed gags.
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A Serious Man ****The Coen brothers have created their darkest comedy yet in A Serious Man, where hero Larry Gopnik (Golden Globe nominee Michael Stuhlbarg) faces non-stop spiritual desolation. It just might break his heart open.
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Movie Review: The Wind JourneysIgnacio Carrillo searched 10 years to find his wife Ana Luz. The devil, he believes, took her away. Fermin follows Ignacio - who might be his father - to become his apprentice. But heartbroken Ignacio never wants to play again.
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Movie Review: The Private Lives of Pippa LeePippa Lee (Robin Wright) is anxious with the slow pace around her, and especially fears the impending loss of Herb. Ambulances show up regularly to their gated, serene community to cart away deceased residents.
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ****A computer hacker investigates murder while fighting her own demons in the tense crime thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Niels Arden Oplev directs this Swedish mystery based on the novel by the late Stieg Larsson.