Let’s get this out of the way first: The Magnificent Seven is a remake of an iconic 1960 Western of the same name and featuring splendid performances from Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner, among others. And that film is itself a retelling of a classic Akira Kurosawa film called Seven Samurai, which is eminently watchable with a powerful lead performance by the great Toshiro Mifune. Each brings its own sensibility to the core story of a…Read More
Review: The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
War is a popular cinematic theme because it amplifies the moral and ethical dilemmas we face in our daily lives. Instead of wondering whether to cut in line at Starbucks or leave a note after you ding the adjacent car in the parking lot, soldiers are forced to make life and death decisions every day. Kill or be killed, and in a battle there’s no time to parlay and discuss your family or apologize. Then there’s boot…Read More
Review: Dallas Buyers Club
Some actors are the very same character in every movie. Think John Wayne or Cary Grant, George Clooney or Denzel Washington. It’s not that they lack range, it’s just that they don’t demonstrate it through either their choice of roles or how they choose to play the character. Dallas Buyers Club demonstrates the opposite, with Matthew McConaughey delivering a superb, Oscar-worthy performance as rodeo cowboy, two-bit hustler and unlikely AIDS activist Ron Woodroof. The film…Read More
Review: Source Code
When you die, the last eight minutes of your life remains electromagnetically imprinted in your brain. If you could inject someone into that persistent time memory and pull them back afterwards, you could send investigators into crises just before they happened and have them identify who committed the crime. It’s a fascinating premise for a sci-fi thriller and director Duncan Jones pulls it off splendidly in Source Code. Air Force chopper pilot Colter Stevens (Jake…Read More
Best and Worst Films of 2010
According to Movieweb, there were 651 films released in 2010 and no, I didn’t see them all. In fact, there are some movies still on my to-watch list that I know will affect this article (including The Fighter and The Kids are All Right), but I hope to see them soon and add some additional commentary at that point. For now, however, I figure I saw maybe 100-150 new films this year, both clunkers and superb…Read More
Review: Unstoppable
After directing films like Deja Vu, Spy Game, Enemy of the State and Crimson Tide, it’s clear that Tony Scott knows the formula for an exciting action film. His pacing prowess is the heart of the new thriller Unstoppable, a film that has so many plot holes that it resembles a block of Swiss cheese. Scott has cast Denzel Washington in quite a few of his films, including The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,…Read More
Review: Green Zone
I had high hopes for Green Zone. I really did. I’m a big fan of the Bourne movies and thought the sullen, slightly dazed but explosively violent character that Matt Damon played in the trilogy was perfect, a breakout role for him and a chance for us to see him as a cool – and different – sort of action hero. Matt Damon stars as Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and with an occasional nudge…Read More
Review: The Book of Eli
The 23rd Psalm of the Bible, in case you haven’t memorized the entire Old Testament, goes like this: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies… The 23rd Psalm is also the inspiration for the dark, moody film The Book of Eli, and though…Read More
Review: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Whenever I review a remake I like to start out saying whether or not I liked the original and in this case, I definitely need to disclose that I loved the original 1974 version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw as the protagonist and antagonist, respectively. It ranks as one of the best crime dramas of the mid-70s, with a story line that surprises the viewer more…Read More