Columbia Archives - From | The | Balcony

Concussion (2015)

Bill Clark — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 13:48:54 +0000

What’s most surprising about Concussion is that it doesn’t let the NFL off easy. Considering the league has its grubby, saccharine hands all over just about every aspect of American life, it’s fair to wonder if they’d strong-arm Columbia Pictures into making this a vapid puff piece with no lasting… Continue reading

The post Concussion (2015) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

Spectre (2015)

Bill Clark — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 02:02:49 +0000

With Spectre, the James Bond series has once again reached a crossroads. The decision can really be simplified down to this: do we want to continue this dark, gritty charade or actually have some fun again? Spectre, despite its lush locales and trademark superb action set pieces, is a mostly… Continue reading

The post Spectre (2015) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

The Interview (2014)

Bill Clark — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 21:23:19 +0000

It would seem nearly impossible to discuss The Interview without addressing the bizarre circumstances leading up to its release. On December 17, 2014, Sony announced that the film would not be released in the wake of the Sony hack and subsequent 9/11-esque threats for violence issued by the hackers (believed… Continue reading

The post The Interview (2014) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

Desperado (1995) – “Mariachi Suite” By Los Lobos

Bill Clark — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:24:06 +0000

Desperado, released in August of 1995, is basically a big(ger) budget remake of director Robert Rodriguez’s first film, El Mariachi (1992). Many are familiar with the lore surrounding El Mariachi‘s production. It was made in twenty days on a budget of $7,000 (or roughly the cost of afternoon snacks for today’s… Continue reading

The post Desperado (1995) – “Mariachi Suite” By Los Lobos appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

22 Jump Street (2014)

Bill Clark — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 18:30:54 +0000

Just because you know you’re a lame retread doesn’t mean you’re not a lame retread. Such is the lesson to be learned from 22 Jump Street, a self-aware sequel to the very good 2012 original that earns some early laughs before disintegrating into screaming matches and just plain unfunny, repetitive… Continue reading

The post 22 Jump Street (2014) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

RoboCop (2014)

Bill Clark — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 18:23:46 +0000

The new RoboCop is a lot like the old RoboCop in that a lot of people are shot and killed. Whereas the 1987 film conducted its business with a sly, dark sense of humor and an ear for social commentary, this 2014 remake (or is it reboot?) plays everything with… Continue reading

The post RoboCop (2014) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

The Monuments Men (2014)

Bill Clark — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:17:06 +0000

“Damon, Murray, Blanchett, and Goodman are in? Well, then, our work here is done.” It seems more than likely that sentence or a variation thereof was uttered during the early stages of The Monuments Men, a dreary and largely uninteresting film about events that shouldn’t be dreary and uninteresting. A… Continue reading

The post The Monuments Men (2014) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

American Hustle (2013)

Bill Clark — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 05:00:03 +0000

You have to hand it to American Hustle for taking its breadth of talent and just letting them run with every scene. Writer/director David O. Russell has gathered the finest cast of the year (including Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, who hit the jackpot last year in Russell’s Silver Linings… Continue reading

The post American Hustle (2013) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Bill Clark — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 05:00:25 +0000

For the second time in the past month we have a film where the outcome is known. And for the second time, the tension couldn’t be higher. Everyone, even young kids, know who Osama bin Laden was. We know what he did, we know what he financed and carried out.… Continue reading

The post Zero Dark Thirty (2012) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.

Skyfall (2012)

Bill Clark — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:00:20 +0000

Skyfall is certainly one of the better Bond films of the past twenty years, though it’s not as if competition has been stiff. Appearing in his third film of the series, Daniel Craig has pretty much turned into an embodiment of the action icon, even if the series continues to… Continue reading

The post Skyfall (2012) appeared first on From | The | Balcony.