This is the first time I’ve ever written a review for a movie I didn’t finish. Actually, let me be more specific: a movie I couldn’t finish. I should preface this by saying that I am a huge Kevin Smith fan, to the point of being obnoxious. And I just couldn’t watch more than 20 minutes of Clerks 2. It’s not that I didn’t try… I just couldn’t do it. Read the rest of this entry »
So it’s normally a time of great jubilation for me whenever Quentin Tarantino decides to put out a new movie. However, I have to say, I’m not sure what to make of the new Grindhouse double feature with Robert Rodriguez.
One of the things that made Shakespeare such a genius was his ability to equally entertain the upper class and the poor, huddled masses. You might say the same about Martin Scorcese. His best films are brutally violent and certainly captivate the baser instinct of some of the audience. However, like David Mamet, there is also a kind of poetry to his vulgarity.
The Departed is probably not Scorcese’s best. Goodfellas will probably always be known as his best work. Having said that, for just about any other filmmaker, The Departed is probably good enough to be an unequivocal masterwork. Read the rest of this entry »
So it’s that time of year again, where the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences routinely disregards my advice and produces their own list of nominations for the year’s best achievements in film. Fortunately for me, I still have my little soapbox where I can rant and rave about the awards season. And so, without further ado… Read the rest of this entry »
It took me a long time to decide to watch United 93. The film needs no introduction. The promotional tagline pretty much says it all: “September 11, 2001. Four planes were hijacked. Three of them reached their target. This is the story of the fourth.”
To be clear, this film is not exploitation; it is tribute. Over five years later, contractors and politicians are still jockeying for position on the plans for the Ground Zero rebuilding effort where the Twin Towers once stood. Yet with this simple, elegant, and visceral film, writer/director Paul Greengrass provides a national elegy for the passengers of United Flight 93 and the rest of the victims of 9/11. This film pays greater tribute than steel and stone could possibly summon.
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As a special Veteran’s Day event, the Alamo Drafthouse at Lake Creek is running 10pm screenings of Saving Private Ryan this Friday and Saturday. For anyone who has never seen this, do not pass up this opportunity to see a modern classic as it was meant to be seen - on the big screen.
Martin Scorcese’s best reviewed film since Goodfellas is finally out in theaters, and I’m furious that I haven’t gotten to see it yet. Read the rest of this entry »
In case there was any doubt, fart jokes are still really, really funny. What’s surprising about Jackass: Number Two is how surprisingly well made the movie is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not Citizen Kane, but there is a surprisingly polished feel to this follow-up to the equally gross and marvelous original Jackass film.
Darren Aronofsky is one of the best writer/directors in the talent-crowded world of independent cinema. His last film, Requiem for a Dream, featured one of the best performances I’ve ever seen (Ellen Burstyn’s heartbreaking turn as a diet-pill-popping widow). Several years later, he’s back with The Fountain - once starring Cate Blanchet and Brad Pitt before Pitt backed out. The project stalled but resumed with Hugh Jackman and Aronofsky’s wife, the stunning Rachel Weisz.
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure yet… Please run and go see Little Miss Sunshine. One of my favorite films of all time has to be The Royal Tenenbaums, and this is the first dark, screwball family comedy I’ve seen that really rivals Tenenbaums for being wonderfully sweet and sour at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »