If we’re lucky we get one film a year that has the action, humor, heart, and colossal appeal of King Kong. The story and message are both timeless, and it’s likely that many audiences worldwide will leave the theater exclaiming that they’ve never seen anything like this before. Of all… Continue reading
The last thing I expected Syriana to be was an endurance test. The intriguing trailers have been floating around for several months now and my anticipation was at its peak as I headed into the screening. Low and behold, writer/director Stephen Gaghan, working from the book by Robert Baer, manages… Continue reading
Derailed is yet another wannabe yuppie thriller that shows you just how bad things can get when you choose the ways of infidelity. Fatal Attraction started this trend and by now the premise is worn. Infidelity is bad. There’s no way to justify it. Part of the problem with these… Continue reading
Is there a day that goes by anymore where we don’t hear about a suicide bombing somewhere in the world? It seems as though this has become a rejuvenated, popular practice, particularly in the Middle East. We read the headlines and shake our heads, moving on to the next depressing… Continue reading
Shopgirl is gentle, heartfelt, and thought-provoking – a real rarity in today’s romance market that consists mainly of sitcom caricatures making bets as to whether or not they will fall in love. Based upon Steve Martin’s novella of the same name, there is undoubtedly some truth behind the events depicted.… Continue reading
The running gag in The Weather Man is that quite often Chicago weatherman Dave Spritz (Cage) gets pelted with some type of food product, whether it is a burrito or a Frosty or a Slurpee. Spritz theorizes that it’s because the public views him as a clown, but I theorize… Continue reading
Julian Fellowes’ Separate Lies is a drama for adults, and that is a rarity in today’s film marketplace. Most films today try and offer something for both the young and old, but Separate Lies dishes up a winding mirage of double-crosses, all wrapped around a tale of infidelity. Fellowes, who… Continue reading
I had this horrible dream the night after I watched Domino. The Earth was being taken out War of the Worlds-style, complete with tripods shooting lasers, turning people and buildings into dust. After the demolition was complete, one of the pesky extraterrestrials descended into the last film vault left to… 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
Hollywood loves it when beautiful actors morph themselves into working class, average people. It’s even better if you do that and are in a message movie. Charlize Theron won an Oscar last year for her riveting portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, the focus of the film Monster. She donned some truly… Continue reading