Public Enemies is Michael Mann’s best film since 1995’s Heat, but it’s not without its faults. What is refreshing is to see an old-school gangster flick with a stellar cast. This is a very intriguing portrait of John Dillinger, the famed bank robber and the FBI’s first-ever “Most Wanted” man.… Continue reading
Approaching an Oliver Stone film is one of the toughest things to do for a film critic. The man is a lightning rod for controversy, whether it is accusations of revisionist history or outright bias. That he is the one directing the first biopic about President George W. Bush will… Continue reading
If this is where so-called “epics” are headed, count me out. Ugly, lunk-headed, and apparently written by a middle school class, 300 is just the kind of “visionary epic” that studios love to hype this time of year as a precursor to the summer movie season. Padded with so much… Continue reading
Spies often make for subjects of great films, but how often do we really think about them in the real world? Billy Ray’s Breach explores the tailing and arrest of Robert Hanssen (Cooper), now classified as the biggest spy and traitor in American history. A loving, church-going family man on… Continue reading
The Good Shepherd is the kind of film that a director, in this case Robert De Niro, makes more for themselves than an audience. De Niro is endlessly fascinated with the birth and evolution of the Central Intelligence Agency, but his film is such a mind-numbing bore that it is… Continue reading
“Every jackass thinks he knows what war is, even if he’s never been in one.” So begins Flags of our Fathers, easily one of the year’s finest films. Based upon the book of the same name by James Bradley (son of John Bradley, one of the six men who raised… Continue reading
It hasn’t taken long for the events of September 11, 2001 to make it to the silver screen. Universal released United 93 several months back to tremendous critical praise. That film is unseen by me but I will admit to being turned off by a supposedly factual movie being made… Continue reading
Only Terrence Malick could get away with this. The legend of Malick is one I partially understand, but the holier-than-thou critical reputation he seems to revel in is completely overblown. The man has directed five films since 1969 but really made a name for himself with Badlands (1973) and Days… Continue reading
Politics never change, but the cast of characters do. It leads one to think what Edward R. Murrow, the centerpiece of George Clooney’s new film, Good Night, and Good Luck., would think of today’s political climate – and more importantly, how he would report it. Broadcast journalism has changed since… Continue reading
The Greatest Game Ever Played had all the reasons in the world to be yet another tired “underdog wins it all” sports cliché films. The Disney sports formula, after all, is tried and true – and predictable. But leave it to director Bill Paxton to up the ante and deliver… Continue reading