Movie Reviews
Here Comes the Boom
Another movie I never would have watched if I hadn’t been imprisoned in a hospital bed, recovering from knee surgery. I don’t know much about the star, Kevin James, except that it looks like every movie he’s ever starred in has been reviewed horribly. This is about an older man who was a college wrestler. The school where he teaches is about to eliminate the popular music program. They ... Read more »
Man of Steel
Hey, listen. Isn’t it about time we put these superhero assholes out to pasture? When does it end? Every year brings us Superman or Batman sequels, prequels, spinoffs, and the worst of all, the dreaded reboot. It’s emblematic of the total lack of originality in Hollywood these days, or at least of the studios. Independents do produce smart, original movies every year … and nobody goes to ... Read more »
Captain Phillips
First of all, this movie is not Best Picture Oscar material. It just isn’t. Having said that, let me say that it is a crackerjack thriller, tense almost from the opening scenes, beautifully filmed (though I’m glad I saw it on our high-def TV instead of in the theater, as almost every shot is a neck-breaking shakycam). The tension builds on a straight line that rises right to the final ... Read more »
The Broken Circle Breakdown
When you think of great bluegrass music, the first thing that springs into your mind will obviously be … Belgium. Right? Okay, me neither. But in this movie, filmed entirely in Ghent, Belgium, and in the Flemish language (I guess; it seems there are many dialects of Dutch and Flemish in different regions of those tiny countries), you will hear some of the finest pickin’ and harmonizin’ you ... Read more »
The Lego Movie
My first reaction: Oh boy, how low and basic will they sink to find an idea for a movie? Lincoln Logs Xtreme? Parcheesi? Canasta? Tic-Tac-Toe, the Movie? My second reaction: Well, if you have a good story and interesting characters, do I really care if they are all Legos? I like Legos. I really wish I had visited Legoland when we lived in Southern California. The ... Read more »
You’re Next
Not my usual cup of tea, but this one is done well and has some surprises. A group of people are gathered together in a house in the country, when suddenly a crossbow bolt comes through the window and kills one of them. Before they know it they are under attack by a gang of apparent psychopaths wearing animal masks. But all is not what it seems. I won’t give away the secret that is ... Read more »
The Transporter
Jason Statham can be very effective in the right part, and this is one of them. Here he’s a guy who picks up packages and delivers them somewhere, no questions asked. He has three rules: Never change the deal; no names; and never open the package. He breaks his rule when he notices something in a package is moving. He finds a bound and gagged woman. What the hell, he delivers it anyway. ... Read more »
Dallas Buyers Club
Dallas Buyers Club (2013) As I watched this story develop, I was struck with an odd thought. In some sad and ironic way, AIDS was the best thing that ever happened to Ron Woodroof.
Think about it. At the beginning of the story he is a pathetic, dissolute loser hanging around rodeos. AIDS was just the icing on the cake that someone left out in the rain too long. But almost from the ... Read more »
Introduction to Top 25 + 1 Movies that I Love
I have had a Top 10 list of movies floating around in my head for at least three decades now, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten it down to fewer than 15. Finally I’ve given up and decided to go with a Top 25. Who said Top 10 was sacred, anyway?
Things have shifted here and there, the criteria for inclusion have changed, and once in a very great while a new movie gets added. At one ... Read more »
Introduction to The Films of Woody Allen
We enjoy having an informal film festival every now and then. We pick a director and we watch all his films, more or less in order. It’s a fascinating way of watching an artist evolve. So far we have done the Coen Brothers, Stanley Kubrick, and Alfred Hitchcock.
So who’s next? After a bit of discussion, we settled on a Woody Allen Film Festival.
Woody is unique among modern ... Read more »