Nicolas Cage and his lunatic energy have often proven hard to neuter, although not for a lack of trying. 2000's The Family Man, which sees Cage as a Wall Street goon who magically gets a chance to live an alternate life, is a perfect example of this. This melodrama attempts to curtail the thespian's obvious…Read more Film Review: The Family Man (2000)
Film Review: A Dangerous Method (2011)
"Sometimes you have to do something unforgivable, just to be able to go on living." This line, uttered by Michael Fassbender's Carl Jung near the conclusion of David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, is indicative of the film's gravity and ambition. Focusing primarily on Jung's semi-fruitful/semi-tortured relationships with Viggo Mortensen's Sigmund Freud and Keira Knightly's Sabrina Spielrein,…Read more Film Review: A Dangerous Method (2011)
Film Review: Confirmation (2016)
The HBO film Confirmation, which premiered on the network last April, benefits greatly from the time of its release. Depicting the 1991 confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, which became a media circus when sexual harassment charges were leveled at Thomas by law professor Anita Hill, Confirmation asks provocative questions about race, gender…Read more Film Review: Confirmation (2016)
Mr. Holmes: On the Cathartic and Corrupting Nature of Storytelling
What do you think of when you hear the name Sherlock Holmes? Is it the deerstalker cap? The curved pipe? Or is it a shit-eating Robert Downey Jr., performing martial arts like some sort of superheroic jackass? An image that probably isn't evoked is the handsome albeit wizened mug of Sir Ian McKellen, who plays…Read more Mr. Holmes: On the Cathartic and Corrupting Nature of Storytelling
Film Review: Stroszek (1977)
After finishing my graduate program last month, I decided to treat myself to a few presents. Ok, quite a few presents. Fine, more like a couple of shopping sprees. One of the more notable items that arrived during this barrage of Amazon deliveries was a collection of Werner Herzog films, aptly titled Herzog: The Collection.…Read more Film Review: Stroszek (1977)
Film Review: The Mission (1986)
In attempting to sum up a film like 1986's religious epic The Mission, one word comes to mind: schism. Beautiful and ugly, complex and glaringly simplistic, The Mission is a big, powerful and, at times, amazing film. It is also, however, a film at war with itself, never gelling into a fully-realized masterwork. Perhaps it's…Read more Film Review: The Mission (1986)
The Complex – Chapter VII: “Oh, For the Love of God!”
The stairwell was silent except for his keys, which jangled and clinked as he strode quickly down the stairs, taking them two-at-a-time. The hallway was different, humming with a vitality unexpected at such a late hour. Walking through the dimly-lit corridor, the dull thump of his footprints could only be faintly heard. They were eclipsed…Read more The Complex – Chapter VII: “Oh, For the Love of God!”
Film Review: The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Considering its high box office and favorable reviews, a sequel to 2013's The Conjuring always had a feeling of inevitability. This year's unimaginatively titled The Conjuring 2 fulfills this possibility, reuniting director James Wan, stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, and screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes in the process. Working together, this team offers up…Read more Film Review: The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Film Review: Shadow of a Vampire (2000)
Most people with even a cursory awareness of art cinema have seen or heard of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, F.W. Murnau's 1922 masterwork. Nosferatu is a film so powerfully rendered, so insanely memorable, that its continuing resonance over the past nine decades feels self-explanatory. This resonance has taken on many forms: from the appearance of the Nosferatu…Read more Film Review: Shadow of a Vampire (2000)
Film Review: Rasputin – Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
Many were hit hard by Alan Rickman's death this past January, and it's easy to understand why. Immortalized by the Harry Potter franchise for his role as anti-hero Severus Snape, Rickman loomed large over a generation of moviegoers. The resonance of this role is so powerful that it's occasionally difficult to remember the varied nature of…Read more Film Review: Rasputin – Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
Adam Mohrbacher 