2009 has been a relatively good year for film. Action, adventure, comedy, drama, horror, and sci-fi have each been duly and honorably represented. And with the Academy’s recent announcement that the number of Best Picture noms has been increased from five to 10, under-appreciated films from the first half of the year may just have [...]
Besides Brando, perhaps the greatest thing to ever happen to cinema is the advent of the robot. Humanity has been obsessed with idea of sentient beings made of metal and wires either taking over the planet or supplanting the dog as man’s best friend. And so, in honor of these, our would-be rulers, I have [...]
Comic genius, Will Ferrell, has become something of a lightning rod over the past few years. His several gems have been slightly overshadowed by a string of recent sub-par films. But regardless of the overall quality the film, Ferrell’s scenes always seem to hit the right notes. So, I’ve compiled a list of the very [...]
In step with our recent review and podcast about Ron Howard’s latest film, “Angles & Demons,” we decided to devise a list of the best, funniest, and most ridiculous films that involve either angels or demons. #5. Angels in the Outfield (Director’s Cut) A director’s cut for this film doesn’t exist. But it would be [...]
“Fighting,” the hilariously obvious title of the recently released Channing Tatum film got us thinking about other films with a remarkable lack of creativity when it comes to the most important aspect of public recognition. #5. Fighting Ok, so I understand that fighting is pretty much the only thing that happens in this movie, along [...]
Since the “Fast & Furious” folks have tortured us with four impossibly bad incarnations of their despicable macho adrenaline fest, and more sequels are undoubtedly on the horizon, we decided to throw our hat in the ring with ideas for five more movies in the franchise bringing the total to nine and making it a [...]
The Academy Award is the most prestigious and coveted recognition an actor can receive, and signifies a supreme achievement in the medium of the motion picture–at least that’s the idea. But, there has been a string of Oscar winners whose careers have hit the crapper immediately after reaching the pinnacle of the movie industry. Here [...]
Stephen King is an oddity in the writing world. Over 70 films and television shows have been adapted from his work. That’s more than any other living author. What’s so incredible about that figure is that he’s primarily a genre writer–in a genre that’s not even particularly popular. According to a paper published in 1998 [...]
Let’s face it, Hollywood’s horror sector has seen better days. Virtually all recent horror films are either directed by a hack who thinks dutch angles are a good substitute for actual direction, or are so devoid of substance that they resort to grotesque and meaningless carnage thinking this equates to scariness. While both of these [...]
Sudden deaths, fabricated environments, false protagonists, and red herrings are all part of the same cinematic device–the plot twist. Used to shock audiences, maintain interest, or at it’s best to tell a deeper story, the plot twist has become a permanent fixture in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the reliance on this device seems to have grown proportional to [...]
DIFF 2012 Reviews: ‘Cinema Six,’ ‘Compliance,’ ‘Faith, Love and Whiskey’
Things I Don’t Understand (2011)
Jiří Trnka: Animation Retrospective
Lowlights of Cinélatino
Brevity Pays Off
‘A Secret World’ at Cinélatino
‘Future Lasts Forever’ at Sofia
Two Treatments of Italy’s Fascist Past
‘The Leopard’: novel, opera, but above all, film
We’ll always have ‘Casablanca’
