One of the first idiotic articles I wrote online previewed a revival screening of Charlie Chaplin's 1931 classic City Lights. In said article, I pontificated that City Lights is one of the films that shows why Chaplin became an immortal figure in cinema. Of course, missing from my piece was information that would substantiate this…Read more Double Feature: The Kid and Modern Times (1921 and 1936)
Film Review: Scarecrow (1973)
The 1970s are fondly and nostalgically remembered as a golden age for American cinema, which saw the release of a number of iconic, groundbreaking films. Of course, despite all of the Easy Riders and Raging Bulls of that period, the era also contained a number of stinkers. Perhaps more common however than either of those…Read more Film Review: Scarecrow (1973)
Film Review: Metropolis (1927)
Fritz Lang's towering Metropolis is a film that needs no introduction. Its influence on cinematic history is so powerful, so resonant to this day, that trying to write anything novel about it is probably an exercise in futility. However, seeing how futile is my middle name I've decided to give it the old college try,…Read more Film Review: Metropolis (1927)
The Complex – Chapter V: The Application
At 11 p.m., the night felt different than it did at 2 a.m., just like how 2 a.m. felt different from 3. Sitting in the office, he tried to savor the fleeting nature of the night's beginning, something only possible because he knew it would end. The first thing to set in was almost always…Read more The Complex – Chapter V: The Application
Film Review: Observe and Report (2009)
The moment most critical for understanding Jody Hill's 2009 black comedy, Observe and Report, is played entirely for laughs. It occurs when the central character of the story, mall security guard Ronnie (played brilliantly by Seth Rogen), has resigned himself to following the antisocial nihilism of his co-worker Dennis (a hilarious Michael Pena). The two guards…Read more Film Review: Observe and Report (2009)
Film Review: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
"This never happened to the other guy." Uttered by George Lazenby in the opening scene of his only James Bond appearance, these infamous words signified the beginning of a new era for cinema's most famous super spy. They also encapsulate how Lazenby's sole Bond vehicle, 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (OHMSS), possessed a strange,…Read more Film Review: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Film Review: The Age of Adaline (2015)
Now available of DVD and BluRay, The Age of Adaline is a film that feels like it should mean more. Telling the story of a woman named Adaline (Blake Lively) who one day mysteriously stops aging, the film is the type of high concept epic that is rarely made, (unless you’re David Fincher and you…Read more Film Review: The Age of Adaline (2015)
Film Review: The Living Daylights (1987)
Every James Bond film involves a battle, and not just against a flabby big bad or an impending global catastrophe. Instead, the primary battle of the James Bond franchise is one of relevancy. Each adventure must answer some very big questions. How do you take a dinosaur of a character and make him feel fresh?…Read more Film Review: The Living Daylights (1987)
The Complex – Chapter IV: A Homecoming
There were times where Sarah knew where she was going, and there were times where she didn't know at all. After leaving work and the apartment complex, she had driven eastward, towards the highway, but had become stuck when her car had come up against a slight, snow-covered incline. Out of frustration, she quite literally…Read more The Complex – Chapter IV: A Homecoming
Film Review: The End of the Tour (2015)
If you're a writer the odds are against you regarding ever achieving success. Most of us are fated to toil in relative anonymity, while our creative output is stymied by the fiscal need to work a day job. That's why the new film about David Foster Wallace (played by a revelatory Jason Segel), and the…Read more Film Review: The End of the Tour (2015)
Adam Mohrbacher 