There’s no question that the epic 1959 Ben-Hur deserved its cavalcade of Oscars. People remember the chariot race scene for a reason: even all these years later it’s a breathtaking achievement in first person action cinematography and it’s hard to imagine how they managed to bring such realism to a scene without the benefit of computers, green screen and models. The story’s about more than a Gladiator-like tale of a rich person who falls to…Read More
Review: Lucy
There’s a certain story arc that just about every Luc Besson film has in common, a theme likely inspired by Hitchcock, of the “everyman” caught up in events far beyond their understanding. Even the earliest Hitch works like The 29 Steps explore this theme to great effect. It works well because we then quickly identify with the protagonist and yearn to see them succeed and overcome the challenges that they encounter on their quest for the mythic…Read More
Review: Oblivion
I knew going into the theater that Oblivion starred Tom Cruise. It’s hard to miss. And there’s something about Cruise movies, something about the fact that he’s in every single scene and that whether he’s supposed to be part of a team (as in the Mission: Impossible series) or otherwise, it’s always narcissistically All About Tom. So there’s that. Then there are problems with the storyline itself. I won’t spoil it but the trailers to…Read More