Author Archive
Film Review – Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
The first time we saw the character of Jack Ryan on the screen was in The Hunt for Red October (1990), played by Alec Baldwin. Since then, he’s been portrayed by Harrison Ford (Patriot Games/Clear and Present Danger) and Ben Affleck (The Sum of All…
READ MOREFilm Review – Vino Veritas
The title of Vino Veritas (2013) is derived from the Latin proverb meaning “in wine, the truth.” There are people who – after too much alcohol – will say what they’re thinking, even if it’s smarter that they don’t. We all have secrets, and sometimes…
READ MOREFilm Review – Lone Survivor
Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor (2013) is difficult to review. No doubt the intentions are in a good place. Recounting the events of “Operation Red Wings,” a failed Navy SEAL mission in which four soldiers were trapped deep behind enemy lines in 2005, we sense Berg…
READ MOREAn Appreciation – Beauty and the Beast
One of the best sequences in Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast, 1946) comes when Belle (Josette Day) first enters the castle of the mysterious Beast (Jean Marais). Done completely in slow motion, we see her come into the main…
READ MOREFilm Review – The Wolf of Wall Street
Everything about Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) is excessive. The story, the acting, the run time – all bloated for a purpose. We’ve seen films dealing with the immoral practices of greedy stockbrokers before, but none have been as electrifying. Scorsese is…
READ MOREFilm Review – American Hustle
Films dealing with con artists often fall into the same trap time travel films do: focusing entirely on the gimmick. Where some filmmakers highlight the paradoxes of the space-time continuum, others put too much emphasis on the “trick” with con films. They revel in fooling…
READ MOREFilm Review – Saving Mr. Banks
Saving Mr. Banks offers few surprises in its story and execution. Being that it’s a Disney production, and chronicles the making of Mary Poppins (1964), we have a good idea of what we’re in store for. But while some may argue it’s a self-congratulatory exercise…
READ MOREFilm Review – Black Nativity
With the holiday season kicking into high gear, we can expect our fair share of holiday-themed movies. If you’re not the type who enjoys this kind of fare, it may be best for you to turn away now. Black Nativity is unabashedly a Christmas musical,…
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