I distinctly remember sitting in my college apartment in 2003 and reading the story of a hiker who cut his own arm off to free himself from a fallen boulder that had pinned it against a crevice wall. One can’t help but ask: What kind of mental state does a… Continue reading
The Social Network represents the type of wide theatrical release that we rarely see these days. It’s smart, brilliantly written, and tells a story that is incredibly absorbable. It’s a miracle of sorts, as computer programming and big-time advertising deals aren’t exactly things that are accessible to the everyday person.… Continue reading
Invictus is a tried-and-true sports film: inspiring and great to look at. But that’s all it is, which, considering the historical and political implications, is a letdown. Here we have a true story of how a leader used an athletic competition to help ease racial divides and unite a country,… Continue reading
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
American Gangster is a formidable piece of work, not to mention director Ridley Scott’s finest effort since 2001’s Black Hawk Down. It personifies the genre that many feared extinct in this era of CGI – the gritty cops and gangsters thriller. Stuck in development hell since 2004 and even dropped… 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
As of January 5, 2007, Freedom Writers is the surprise of the year. That may not sound like high praise, but I won’t be forgetting this uplifting, ever-so-relevant film in the near future. It may seem like a clichéd mix of Dead Poet’s Society and Dangerous Minds on the surface,… Continue reading
That darn “y” in “Happyness” has been bugging me for months. Not knowing Chris Gardner’s story, I had no clue of the meaning until about twenty minutes into The Pursuit of Happyness, a clearly Hollywood-ized account of Gardner’s entrance into the world of stock trading. Granted, the film has one… Continue reading
The World’s Fastest Indian is a treasure of a film; a true rarity in today’s quick cash grabs market. The trailers would lead one to believe that the film is squarely aimed at racing techies preoccupied with souping up their rusted heap in the backyard, but Burt Munro (Hopkins) is… Continue reading