Horrible Bosses – The Tether’s Tighter When There Are Fewer Options
As a waiter, I once had a manager approach a table to castigate a young woman for having no palate because she sent back…
Rubber – The Difference Between Absurdism and Absurdity is the Difference Between Satire and Schlock
“All great films without exceptions contain an element of ‘no reason,’” and for this notion I give writer / director Quentin Dupieux credit. There is…
Black Snake Moan – No Snakes on Planes, but a Diamond in the Rough
Every once in a while, there is a film from which nothing is expected but its ability to kill two hours, yet surprises with a…
X-Men First Class – An Exercise in Atonement
In an age of prequels, sequels, triads, and epic franchises, X-Men: First Class separates itself from the former list and has become less a prequel,…
Midnight in Paris – Allen’s Take on History and Nostalgia
In what might be his best film since 1997’s Sweet and Lowdown, Woody Allen sheds the jittery paranoia, forced love affair, and overly-convoluted script that…
Get Low – Should Have Dug Deeper
Billing Get Low as a “True Tall Tale” immediately exposes the contradiction with the premise that it’s been based on the true story of Felix…
What the Smurfin’ Smurf Is this Smurf?! – Turns Out I Could Be a Screenwriter as Well
Cheers to those who got their smurf on over the weekend at South Street Seaport in New York City, where hundreds of blue-faced, Phrygian cap-wearing…
Teen Wolf — A Guide to Being a Better Ball Player
As I look back at one of the more nostalgic pieces of 80’s cinema, I would like to examine the highest merits of Teen Wolf:…
Scream 2 , OJ Simpson, Casey Anthony and How Media Has Become Judge, Jury and Executioner
Wes Craven’s Scream franchise has long been thought of as a series of films that parody their traditional predecessors. The first (1996) examines the various…
Super 8 – Like the ’70s: Fun for a While but with a Messy Ending
I suppose an allegory that discusses the oppression of others for personal advancement could be limned, but Super 8 doesn’t try to be pedantic and delve…