Satire

‘The Big Short’ is a work of seething rage and trampled idealism

Where to Invade Next Directed by Michael Moore USA, 2015 Michael Moore literally declares war at the open of Where to Invade Next; it’s no longer hyperbole to say that he “targets” a certain topic or interest. Here he boards an aircraft carrier with a booming score befitting a Michael Bay title while he brandishes …

Spike Lee’s ‘Chi-Raq’ is a timely effort that will raise awareness through its passion but fade through its flaws

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington featured a young, authentic Jimmy Stewart who does battle with the corrupt political machine. Many decades later, that hardened view of politicians (and the machine that gets them elected) has not changed.

It’s hard to imagine what legendary director Barry Levinson and uber-cool demigod Bill Murray were thinking when they made ‘Rock the Kasbah.’

Sion Sono’s ‘Love & Peace’ is one 2015’s best films and it demands to be seen

What would happen if Joss Whedon and Mike Judge had a cinematic love child? If our puny human brains were capable of comprehending such unmitigated awesomeness, it would probably resemble something like ‘Bloodsucking Bastards.’

Writer-directors Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione mix satire, horror, and science fiction into an irresistible social experiment that puts all of us under the microscope in ‘Circle.’

People looking for a satirized view of news and media haven’t had to look far as of late. Between the long running twin titans of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report from Comedy Central, the market has pretty much saturated itself as far as that daily news satire is concerned.

While audiences and critics are still debating the unbridled ambition of Nolan’s Interstellar, an equally-madcap film (finally) makes its way into North American theaters this weekend. Japanese auteur, Shion Sono, unleashes his demented ode to cinema, Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, which might be the most uncanny take on filmmaking since The Player. Armed with inspired gags, impassioned characters and enough blood squibs to drown Tarantino, Sono delivers a visual feast that’s destined to be a cult classic.

Dan Gilroy’s latest, Nightcrawler, has a lot on its troubled mind. It intertwines our national obsessions with voyeurism and stardom into a sociopathic nightmare from which you can’t awaken. At its churning center is the mesmerizing performance of Jake Gyllenhaal, who charms you with his infectious intensity, even as he ruthlessly manipulates everyone and everything around him. As the blood flows and the crimes accumulate, Gilroy traps us behind the camera as his passive accomplices. Welcome to the world of the Nightcrawler. Showering after you leave is highly recommended.

Dear White People Written & Directed by Justin Simien USA, 2014   Sometimes we need a little anarchy to liven things up.  First-time filmmaker, Justin Simien, isn’t interested in lighting any candles with his debut effort, Dear White People.  He’s here to curse the darkness… and then criticize the darkness for acting too dark.  This …

If all the world’s stage, then surely some players crave the spotlight more than others. And if ever there was a player, it was Errol Flynn. The Last of Robin Hood tells the twisted story of three people who will do almost anything for fame. That each must settle for infamy is one of the juicy, yet unexplored ironies in a movie that doesn’t know which story it wants to tell. By taking an evenhanded and humanistic approach to such salacious subject matter, the filmmakers have effectively squashed any possibility for tawdry fun. Instead, we get a bone-dry historical drama that skimps on the history and bypasses the drama entirely.

South Korean filmmaker, Joon-ho Bong, has never been afraid of mixing genres.  In his latest and most challenging film to date, Snowpiercer, Bong mixes action, sci-fi and satire to create a delightfully twisted prison break story.  Snowpiercer owes much of its effectiveness to an ingenious script that uses 3 discrete acts to effortlessly shift its …