Though it would have found a fine home on this blog, I was able to write a review for the new Alexander Payne film, Nebraska for Hollywood.com, a gig I haven’t really announced on this blog, as I have mostly written reviews for pop culture films. They include the following films (all titles link direct to those reviews, where I am required to give scale ratings in the form of stars [halves count, so it’s a 1 – 10 scale], so I’ve added the ratings to the titles):
- Frozen ****
- The Fifth Estate * 1/2
- Rush *** 1-2
- Insidious: Chapter 2 ***
- Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 ** 1/2
- The Butler ****
- Disney’s Planes ***
But Nebraska was the first true indie-oriented film I’ve had a chance to write about for the pop culture site. It follows Woody Grant (a brilliantly subtle Bruce Dern playing cantankerous and vulnerable) on a Captain Ahab-like journey to claim a million-dollar prize he may or may not know he has even won.
You can read the review by jumping through the website’s logo below (and see what rating I gave it):
It turns out this review has caught the eye of Rotten Tomatoes and a curious website called Existimatum, where writers review film reviewers. Color me flattered.
But this is about Nebraska, a nice, low-key film I think has not generated the attention it really deserves, as it opens only in one multiplex in South Florida and not a single art house. It’s not a perfect film, but it features some amazing performances by Dern, Will Forte and June Squibb. Stacy Keach also appears, who Payne taps for his signature menacing quality. He also becomes an easy sort of bad guy as Woody’s family grows more endearing despite the continued appearances of their shortcomings, like one surprising matryoshka doll after another.
Nebraska is rated R (there’s only some common cussing) and runs 115 minutes. It opened in South Florida Thursday, Nov. 28, at the Regal South Beach Stadium 18. Meanwhile, in other parts of the U.S., it may already be playing at a theater near you; visit the film’s website and enter your zip code to find out here.
