CLOUD ATLAS is an ambitious film plagued with problems that garbles its overarching themes. Some of these problems stem from its makers attempting to adapt the six novellas of the original book into a film with a running time of only(?) three hours. Others are of a more puzzling nature, troublesome and unforgivable for being something… Read More »
SAVING MR. BANKS
I have three problems with SAVING MR. BANKS, only one of which springs from knowing how much of the story has been Disney-fied. A feature film is not real life, even when based as this one is on actual events if for no other reason, as someone once said, real life doesnt have to make… Read More »
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
You can see how Steven Spielberg and company would have salivated at the prospect of bringing this story to the screen. Inspired by actual events in the life of Frank Abignale, Jr., its got a 16-year-old runaway conning his way around the world with forged checks and eluding the FBI for three years back in… Read More »
THE LADYKILLERS
The Coen Brothers remake of the perfect and perfectly exquisite Ealing Studio comedy, THE LADYKILLERS, isnt just a misfire, its an annoying misfire, irksome, tedious, and on the whole, unnecessary. The original, as you recall, was perfect. It was, if you recall, a resolutely deadpan and black comedy that nonetheless taught a valuable lesson about… Read More »
TERMINAL, THE
THE TERMINAL is another cloying schmaltz-fest from Tom Hanks aided and abetted by Steven Spielberg. The premise is based on the true story of a man without a country stuck at a Paris airport for years on end living by his wits and the kindness of strangers. So much to work with, including the kind… Read More »
THE POLAR EXPRESS
THE POLAR EXPRESS isnt just an astonishing achievement in animation, its also a rich feast for the eye, the mind, and even the spirit. It’s a glorious evocation of that most fragile, most beautiful aspect of the innocence of early life, the childlike wonder and whole-hearted ability to be swept away by magic. Im sure… Read More »
THE DA VINCI CODE
The book by Dan Brown on which THE DA VINCI CODE is based will never be mistaken for a work of genius. It is not a work for the ages, but rather fills the guilty pleasure niche in the literary food chain. It’s a fast read with an intriguing premise where a great deal happens… Read More »
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
The first startling fact revealed in WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? is that the concept isn’t new. A century or more ago, the electric car gave gasoline-powered ones a run for their money before falling by the wayside because of a starter issue. The other startling facts come thick and fast as this documentary by… Read More »
CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
Based on actual events, CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR tells the unlikely story of one even more unlikely man on a mission to make the world a better place. It’s a smart film, slickly done, with a disarming insouciance that belies the devastating political story it tells. Aaron Sorkin has taken the facts and with Mike Nichols… Read More »
THE PIXAR STORY
There is nothing short of a giddy delight in watching the fine folks who founded PIXAR living out their dreams in ways much larger than even they could ever have imagined. It covers all the usual ups and downs of any show biz story, but PIXAR is not just any show biz entity, and the… Read More »