It’s always a frustrating predicament when the performances in a film are so unabashedly superior to its script that, on acting alone, it’s almost recommendable. Director Gregory Hoblit’s Fracture is such a specimen; a film whose lead performances, by Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, are engaging and chock full of… Continue reading
My love and admiration for 1985’s Commando never goes unspoken when given ample opportunity. Quite simply, it is the raddest action flick ever made. It took preposterous action to a level that has never been reached since and proved once and for all that you can pile up bodies and… Continue reading
As an unsolved mysteries fanatic, the Zodiac killings are among the most perplexing and frustrating – ever. Nearly everyone is familiar with the Zodiac – a killer who preyed on young couples and taunted the police and media with bizarre letters and ciphers – but few seem to know that… 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
Director Joe Carnahan made one heck of a big studio splash with 2002’s Narc, one of the most under-appreciated gritty cop flicks of the past twenty years. With Narc he displayed a knack for pacing, atmosphere (you could practically taste the grunge of the Detroit back alleys), and dizzying, enthralling… Continue reading
The Hitcher kicks off with some road kill (literally), and never really gets much better from there. Aside from the obvious lack of need for such a remake (the original hit theaters a mere twenty years ago; yes, kids, that’s recent history), the entire production suffers from a fundamental, and… 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
Ah, January: the twinge of cold in the air, football playoffs, snow days for the kids, and hands down the worst month of the year for movies. The annual dumping ground for all studios, January is traditionally a month of low returns and how-is-that-movie-number-one weekends. Fitting right in is Code… Continue reading
It is a common assumption that most men want to be James Bond, and why not? He beats up the bad guys, beds the pretty ladies, and is as suave as any man can be. After viewing the “torture sequence,” as the MPAA has chosen to call it, I doubt… Continue reading
Welcome back, Marty. After trying to score Oscars for Gangs of New York and The Aviator (both solid films, don’t get me wrong), Martin Scorsese is back to the old stomping grounds with The Departed. You know the good stuff: crooks, double-crosses, mafia, brutal violence, corrupt cops, colorful language, the… Continue reading