Halfway through 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Logan (Hugh Jackman) delivers the line “I come with you. I’m coming for blood. No law. No code of conduct,” which marks a departure from the moral, yet stigmatized killing machine who ventured heroically through the Civil War, World War I, II, and the Vietnam War. And, this seems to be […]
Often, remakes signify a growing lack of originality that seems to be burgeoning throughout Hollywood, and this stigma is often compounded two or three fold when a production company decides to remake a horror film. Some prime examples would be the most recent installments of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th or Rob Zombie’s Halloween […]
Two years ago, I was heading from Oregon to New York. As a week of Pinot drinking was slowly seeping its way out of my sweat glands and gradually returning my retinas to their inherently white color, the seven hour, two-part flight was a bit daunting. However, things began to look up as I arrived at PDX […]
Because of its rather unique take on superhero origin stories, Iron Man was quite enjoyable and offered a glimpse at the birth of a superhero from his purely embryonic origins. The initial need for superpowers was unnecessary as Tony Stark is depicted as an enviable character prior to his iron baptism – an affluent playboy who drives […]
The opening scene gives us Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt), a parking lot attendant ticket taker, confined to his cage, meticulously scribbling something while reading, “I can’t tell you how sick I am.” From this point on, the audience wonders whether Paul is all there, or if he is so socially awkward that his only way to communicate […]
As most pre-pubescent adolescents do, I wanted to be a super hero. My attire was a black cloak – an old Halloween costume from an early obsession with the Grim Reaper; its hood was large enough to cast a shadow over my face, but allowed enough horizontal space so that I could see clearly without an impeded […]
In Brooklyn’s Finest, Anthony Fuqua applies his wonky, gritty vision of police-realism to a triumvirate of NYPD officers whose fates will eventually intermingle prior to the unnecessarily frozen and symbolism-riddled final frame that captures Eddie’s eyes, filled with pent-up rage that is snuffed by twenty two years of learned indifference and futility sullenly staring at the audience. Translation: […]
The power of disasters and the potential of an apocalypse fascinate movie goers, usually during times of strife or near the end of a decade. In the eighties, forty-six movies were released that focused on the dissolution of society as we know it, and most dealt with the threat or the consequence of nuclear war – alluding […]
Logic dictates that when a movie slated for release in October is pushed back until February of the next year, the film probably has some major flaws that would pull it out of contention for any major awards. And, for the most part, the producers are conceding that the film isn’t very good and would only be […]
Andrea Arnold masterfully handles Fish Tank, a film of gritty British realism that captivates and depresses, but does not wear itself out trying to rend your heartstrings. The soundtrack is minimal and is most often comprised of various background noises and the cockney-laced vocal outburst of the oft-volatile Mia (Katie Jarvis), a fifteen-year-old who is ostracized by […]