REVIEW: How Do You Know [2010]

“We are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work” The man doesn’t direct much—he averages almost five years between films—but James L. Brooks still holds intrigue with each release. Broadcast News is a classic, As Good As It Gets very good, and Terms of Endearment beloved, although I find it merely okay and overrated. His last film, Spanglish, actually entertained at a decently high level too, making me overlook the overwhelming number of average or below notes from critics on How Do You Know. Admittedly, the…

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REVIEW: Terms of Endearment [1983]

“Medium esteem” I’m not quite sure what I think about James L. Brooks’ Terms of Endearment. Here is a film that won best picture at the 1984 Oscars, beating out a favorite of mine, The Big Chill. Everyone I talk to says they love it and here I am feeling a tad lukewarm on the whole spectacle. At first glance, I can’t really comprehend what I saw exactly. Truthfully, the whole thing seems as though it was a device to get us to the end, the one sequence of time…

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