AND THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY: Movie Reviews of A Most Violent Year and Mommy by Howard Casner

Posted: February 5, 2015 | Author: Donald | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: A Most Violent Year, Albert Brooks, Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, David Margulies, DAvid Oyelowo, J.C. Chandor, Jessica Chastain, Mommy, Suzanne Clement, Xavier Dolan | 801 Comments »

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Warning: SPOILERS

How you feel about A Most Violent Year, the new neo-noir written and directed by J.C. Chandor, will probably depend on how you feel about the central character, Abel Morales, an up and coming entrepreneur; you know, the to dream the American dream type person, which in this case means playing with the big guys when it comes to the heating oil business.

He has worked long and hard to create a business than is not only as successful as others who have mainly inherited their companies, he is slowly encroaching on some of their territory. To make room at the top for him and his family, he has just signed a contract to buy his own storage facility, but has less than a month to come up with the remaining $1.5 million to secure it, which he expects to get in a loan from a bank.

He also wants to do it honestly and not break any laws, including taking money from his wife’s less than ethical family.   And honest he is. We know this because we are told this, over and over and over again. So I guess it must be true (and there’s no real evidence to doubt it).

In many ways there is much to admire in this young turk. What he’s doing isn’t easy and, as I said, it is the American dream, after all. Read the rest of this entry »

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