Restrepo – A Brother’s Life and an “Other’s” Life
“We’re not ready for this … This is the middle of nowhere … This is a shithole … I felt like we were fish in…
127 Hours – If Your Life Replays Itself Before Your Eyes
In what might be the most beautifully shot Best Picture nominee of 2010, 127 Hours establishes Danny Boyle as a king of symbology from the opening…
The Weather Underground – “You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know” Revolution Is Imminent
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, there were dozens of different groups undertaking their individually grand projects of mass transformation of this country. Malcolm X, Martin…
Pressure Cooker — If You Can’t Stand the Heat …
In 1994’s Hoop Dreams, we followed Arthur Agee and William Gates as they struggled to break free of their impoverished communities and broken pasts, seeking…
The Rite – This Review Was Inspired by My Foot Falling Asleep
In a November 12, 2010 article from The New York Times, Laurie Goodstein reports “The rite of exorcism […] has largely fallen out of favor…
The 10 Best Picture Haikus of 2010
Might as well keep up tradition here on Gladiators. The nominations for Best Picture were announced yesterday, and while The Town was a surprising omission, the ten…
And the 2011 Oscar Nominees Are …
The Oscar nominations are in, and while “The King’s Speech” is leading the way with twelve nominations, I’m very surprised at all the love “True…
Frozen – If There Were Three People I Would Watch Die…
In Frozen, writer and director Adam Green pits three characters against nature, setting up a frightening, suspenseful tale that examines survival instinct in the face of…
Scre4m – Satire Has Gone the Way of Words Made of Letters
In 1996, Drew Barrymore was trapped in her home, voyeurized through her many floor to ceiling windows, eventually stabbed through the heart, gutted groin to…
Red – Thank God I’m Unemployable
As I ponder what to do during my retirement, it often involves the usual sitting on a porch, yelling at kids to get off my…