The Family Fang Written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Kevin Wilson (adapted from his novel) Directed by Jason Bateman U.S., 2016 Jason Bateman’s sophomore directorial feature is not the follow-up to Bad Words that many expected. While that low-key comedy based around a grown man through a child’s spelling bee was a pleasant surprise, this adaptation …
‘The Jungle Book’ is an embarrassment of visual riches that thoroughly entertains on every level.
Eddie the Eagle Written by Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton Directed by Dexter Fletcher U.K., 2016 Fresh off of the success of Kingsman: The Secret Service, few would have expected Matthew Vaughn to pluck the young star from that film (Taron Egerton) and produce a film about Great Britain’s first Olympic ski-jumper. Yet as an …
Following James Bond’s out of this world experience in the financially successful (665 million, adjusted for inflation) if artistically vapid Moonraker, the series’ sole producer, Albert Broccoli, thought it best to venture in a different direction, one that would feel slightly more grounded, all the while still playing on the strengths of his star: cool …
Full disclosure: I’m not completely well acquainted with the work of Kanye West, save for half a dozen songs and his very public persona. His egoism almost seems to speak for itself, but there a moments where even I, as someone who rarely listens to rap, understand that there’s more to him than meets the …
Jersey Boys Directed by Clint Eastwood Written by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice USA, 2014 You know something has gone horribly wrong when the best scene in your movie is a production number featured in the closing credits. Sadly, no one noticed that the rest of Jersey Boys was bereft of any dramatic conflict, interesting …
Such is the current culture in the filmmaking world that the very notion of suggesting ‘remake’ is considered sacrilege, but the problem isn’t in the concept, it’s in the choices. The worst thing you can do in the writing room, and on the set, is mishandle a great story. It is these motion pictures, not the Verhoven classics or yesteryear horror flicks, that require a second attempt.
The Iceman exists in a strange kind of cinematic purgatory, in which reside those movies that are both too rushed and too slow. With actors like Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, and Winona Ryder among the key players, this period piece about a particularly sociopathic Mob enforcer’s rise to some level of infamy is, at best, decent.
Stand Up Guys Directed by Fisher Stevens Written by Noah Haidle USA, 2013 Embarrassment sets in after roughly 15 minutes of Stand Up Guys, not so much for its stars, Al Pacino and Christopher Walken, going through the motions of hacky jokes about how good the old days were. Instead, the kind of awkward feeling …
True Romance Directed by Tony Scott Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino 1993, USA “Not since Bonnie and Clyde have two people been so good at being bad”. Written by one-of-a-kind Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) and directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun, Hunger, Crimson Tide), True Romance is if anything consistently entertaining. This outlaw-lovers-on-the-run flick …
Seven Psychopaths Directed by Martin McDonagh Written by Martin McDonagh USA and United Kingdom, 2012 Christopher Walken has become a gag in modern popular culture, a punchline to a joke no one’s actually told. His repeated hosting gigs on Saturday Night Live over the past two decades along with a series of bizarre appearances in …
True Romance Directed by Tony Scott Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino 1993, USA “Not since Bonnie and Clyde have two people been so good at being bad”. Written by one-of-a-kind Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) and directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun, Hunger, Crimson Tide), True Romance is if anything consistently entertaining. This outlaw-lovers-on-the-run …
Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986, USA): Noonan is absolutely incredible as a serial murderer in this underrated adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon. With all respect to the talented but miscast actors involved in Brett Ratner’s 2002 adaptation Red Dragon (USA), with the exception of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal …