THE JUDGE is everything thats wrong with studio bids for Oscar consideration. A carefully calculated effort designed to hit all the perceived necessary tropes to qualify as both important and as quality. Alas, it is neither. True, there are excellent performances by Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, and Billy Bob Thornton, but they… Read More »
FRAILTY
In the opening scene of FRAILTY, a man calls his brother and tells him that the world is full of demons. He then takes a gun and blows his brains out. Like the film itself, this scene is telling the truth and lying at that same time. The intricate plotting of this disturbing Southern gothic… Read More »
WAKING LIFE
WAKING LIFE is that rarest of films, one that is unique. Take one slacker and cycle him, or at least his consciousness, through a series of conversations, lectures really, by devotes of different philosophies. But more, take the film footage and put it through an animation technique called interpolated rotoscoping and what you get is,… Read More »
THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE
THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE is a great idea for a movie. Unfortunately, its fine direction by Alan Parker and excellent acting from a cast headed by Kevin Spacey is undercut by a script that would, charitably, receive a C+ in Screenwriting 101 for Charles Randolph. How it made it to the big screen in… Read More »
CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE
The problem with CRADLE 2 GRAVE, aside from the cutesy “2” in the title is very simple. Not enough Jet Li. There’s also not enough Mark Dacascos, but that’s another issue and I will get to it. As for why Li isn’t on screen every possible moment, I think I have the answer. Someone got… Read More »
TEARS OF THE SUN
TEARS OF THE SUN is a turgid exposition on the evils of ethnic cleansing, guerilla warfare, and casting Bruce Willis in an action flick. It is overwrought, underwritten and with glacial pace that makes for a piquant juxtaposition to its tropical Nigerian location. Once again Willis impresses mightily with his ability to be in virtually… Read More »
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE
There is a moment in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, one of many actually, that tells you that this is no ordinary sci-fi flick. Michael Rennie as the alien visitor Klaatu has gone undercover in a Washington D.C. boarding house in order to learn more about the Earthlings hes been sent to contact. He… Read More »
AGENT CODY BANKS
AGENT CODY BANKS proves that it’s possible to make a smart kid’s film that adults will like, too. And this is all the more satisfying because when you see a hefty team of screenwriters in the credits, in this case , Zack Stenz, Ashley Miller, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszweski, it usually doesnt bode well… Read More »
THE HUNTED
Never have I missed Jet Li and Donnie Yen more than while watching Benicio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones slug it out in THE HUNTED. It’s sort of like watching two Claymation figures go at each other with all the subtlety and artistry that that implies. Points for consistency, though. This exercise in entertainment futility… Read More »
BASIC
The first words we hear Tom Hardy say in BASIC is in a conversation this ex-Army and currently DEA agent in Panama is having with a colleague, the gist of which is that if he doesnt have the trust of those around him, he cant function. Those are words that will figure greatly in the… Read More »
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