Smoke Signals (1998)

Aug 25, 2013 by Mr. Nau When his estranged, alcoholic father, Arnold, dies, Victor and his nerdy friend, Thomas, leave their home on the reservation in Idaho to collect Arnold’s ashes in Arizona. With a Sherman Alexie screenplay, this buddy adventure examines the identities of the two young men, both as adults and as Native […]

Elizabethtown (2005)

Jul 27, 2013 by Mr. Nau Kirsten Dunst and Joseph Gordon-Levitt lead a very talented cast in this romantic comedy about a disgraced shoe designer who suddenly has to travel to Kentucky to arrange his father’s funeral. He meets an adorably quirky flight attendant on the way who leads him on unexpected and poignant adventures. […]

Paper Man (2009)

Jul 27, 2013 by Mr. Nau Jeff Daniels plays Richard, a has-been writer sequestered with his imaginary super hero friend on Long Island, where he meets an unusual local teen, Abby (played by Emma Stone), and forms a quirky friendship with her. This heartfelt comedy has solid acting performances, an interesting story and relatable characters. […]

Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)

Jul 14, 2013 by Mr. Nau Some of the most iconic background singers of all time are featured in this masterpiece documentary. Many of the vocalists who backed up the most successful recording artists sought the front of the stage for themselves with varying success and we get a inside look at their lives and […]

Wonderful World (2009)

Jun 14, 2013 by Mr. Nau After his Senegalese roommate falls ill, Ben Singer, a cynical failed entertainer, is pulled out of his normal isolated existence by the roommate’s beautiful sister, Khadi, who comes from Africa to nurse him back to health. This heartfelt comedy has a lovely, poignant script, but slow pacing in the […]

The Great Gatsby (2013)

May 12, 2013 by Mr. Nau Leonardo DiCaprio leads a very talented, very big budget cast in this new adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, complete with ridiculous dance parties incessantly featuring wobbly dubstep basslines. Toby Maguire’s Caraway character was painfully fawning and the entire movie was a garish teenage parody of a literary […]

Watchmen (2009)

May 04, 2013 by Mr. Nau Alan Moore’s fantastic graphic novel is realized here in a three-hour blockbuster that tells the story of retired superheroes trying to find out who killed one of their friends. This is a dark, twisted, violent story not appropriate for children, but shows the scummiest rung of the human ladder. […]

Hitman (2007)

Apr 27, 2013 by Mr. Nau This action-thriller stars Timothy Olyphant as a hitman, trained from birth to be a contract killer, who is tasked with knocking off dictatorial leaders and other bad guys. With a huge body count and lots of religious overtones and language, this just feels like a video game cut sequence. […]

The Hunger Games (2012)

Apr 22, 2013 by Mr. Nau Jennifer Lawrence leads an all-star cast in this drama as a young woman who volunteers to enter a gladiatorial contest, in place of her sister, to represent her district in a fight to the death. This dystopian future is visceral and the danger in the contest is always palpable. […]

Lebanon, PA (2010)

Apr 17, 2013 by Mr. Nau Will, an advertising executive in Philadelphia, has to return to his small Pennsylvania hometown to take care of affairs after his father’s passing and spends time with his family and interesting locals. This slice of life indie drama features a beautiful story and good acting performances from the principal […]

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