If it’s true that superheroes and their stories are the epic tales of our time, then Iron Man (and Iron Man 2) fit the bill. With such obvious Greek elements (not to mention Greek words) as hamartia and hubris, superheroes possess some requisite characteristics suited to telling the engrossing story of a lone man on [...]
Idiosyncratic, eccentric, and unconventional? Perhaps. Enjoyable, charming, and timeless? Absolutely. This newest take on the enchanting Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass stories by Lewis Carroll is an endearing film, full of delightful characters, equal parts nostalgia and originality, and another beguiling performance from Johnny Depp. The combination of vibrant visuals and a timeless story of [...]
It’s said that the worst possible trauma a parent can experience is outliving their children, and, therefore, burying them, mourning their loss, and living out the rest of their lives with a gaping emotional wound, wrapped with new tourniquets each day, never completely healing, never fully returning to that approximation of wholeness towards which we [...]
A middle-aged, weathered performer who’s down on his luck, strapped for cash, and reaching for the bottle. Haven’t we seen this before? We have. This film wishes it was The Wrestler from 2008. It can’t be The Wrestler for one very simple reason: it tries way too hard to please everybody. Nothing is that hard [...]
We know the writings, but few of us know the man behind them, the pen that wrote some of the most beloved and respected books in the Canon of Humanity, among them, War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Unfortunately, the man was caught between two worlds late in life, his family and his Movement, the Tolstoyans. Michael [...]
Famous men and women live epic lives, it seems, in one way or another, if only for the impact they’ve had on humanity both during and, if not more importantly, after their own lifetimes. Many of these notables received little approbation during their lives (in some cases none or, worse, public censure). But they wrote, or [...]
Precious, the film and the girl, are inspirational in many ways. The latter for her ability to continue to face the onslaught of trials and tribulation that life continually throws in her direction. The former would be more so if it hadn’t tried so hard in a few places; it’s a very inspirational story, and [...]
If you’ve seen The Other Boleyn Girl, you’ve seen an enjoyable film about the British crown. Once you see The Young Victoria, you will notice how much more can be said and how much better it can be done. With an intentionality missing from many period pieces, this film uses lighting and angle to highlight and shade [...]
Stop-motion is not done as frequently as it should be. This is one of the take-away lessons from Coraline. It’s like Gumby on steroids. Good stop-motion, like good CG or hand-drawn animation, opens brand news worlds, or existing worlds in brand new ways. Coraline takes place in the mountains of Ashland, Oregon, and the pain-staking [...]
Post-apocalyptic stories have a certain resonance now. (“Now” defined as “post-Hiroshima.”) Given our predilection for lone men on missions to save humanity, this post-apocalyptic mankind-savior on a mission already has a foot in the door of our imaginations, and Denzel Washington remains one of the blockbuster names who delivers on more than one level, bringing [...]