Nerd in the 'Noke

The Revenant (2015), R, 156 minutes - There was a time when I couldn't care less about a new Leonardo DiCaprio film being released.  That all changed when I saw 2002's Catch Me If You Can.  In all honesty, I was only willing to tag along with my then roommate to that film because of Tom Hanks' involvement.  What I learned with that film was that there was a lot more to DiCaprio than the teen heart throb reputation that I had pigeon-holed him under previously.  Since then he has shown great diversity in his roles and has become a personal favorite, an actor whose new projects I make a point of checking out as soon as possible.  The Revenant is the result of his collaboration with Tom Hardy and reigning Academy Award winner Alejandro González Iñárritu (Best Achievement in Directing/Best Writing, Original Screenplay) to bring this story - based on events described in Michael Punke's historical novel 'The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge' from 2002 -...

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), R, 119 minutes - I've been looking forward to this film for just about a year now, ever since learning that Michael Keaton would be starring in the latest project from director  Alejandro González Iñárritu.  Since its initial release a month ago I have been waiting not-so-patiently for a) it to come to my local art house theater and b) a little break in the long list of things we've been trying to get done in the new house.  Thanks to a technical difficulty last week that wiped out this review once, I'm finally able to get my thoughts down 'on paper' so to speak. Michael Keaton plays Riggan, a washed up actor whose claim to fame was starring in a superhero franchise twenty years ago.  He's working on writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway show that he hopes will show the world that he still has the drawing power he had in his prime.  Getting the show ready proves to be quite a struggle ...