Between his starring role in Scrubs, and his auspicious directorial debut Garden State, Zach Braff was endeared to nearly an entire generation of viewers in the early/mid-2000s. However, by 2006 things were starting to slow down. I'll never forget seeing Braff's pensive mug staring at me that year from the posters of The Last Kiss,…Read more “There Are No More Surprises” – On The Last Kiss and The Problem With the Zach Braff Brand
Film Review: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Since the release of the original Matrix 15 years ago, the Wachowskis have become deeply embedded in the world of high concept sci-fi. Their most recent release, Jupiter Ascending - which opened last Friday, is no exception to this trend, offering an outlandish, operatic version of the tried and true monomyth. The film is by no…Read more Film Review: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
On American Sniper or How Chris Kyle Put Aside the Cowboy and Became a Man
The late Chris Kyle was a highly decorated veteran, dubbed "The Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History". However, Kyle's story has also been polarizing, with seemingly everyone having an opinion on the man's actions. Nowhere has this debate been more recently visible (or more humorous) than in the Internet's response to Clint Eastwood's American…Read more On American Sniper or How Chris Kyle Put Aside the Cowboy and Became a Man
Film Review: The Furies (1950)
When one is forced to think of directors typically associated with the western genre, only a few names leap instantly to mind. After one immediately blurts out "JOHN FORD" and "CLINT EASTWOOD" and fumbles around to say "um... well... oh gee... Sergio Leone?" the wellspring usually runs dry. This is certainly understandable; these men did…Read more Film Review: The Furies (1950)
Film Review: One, Two, Three (1961)
Billy Wilder is a name synonymous with Hollywood classics. During his tenure as a movie-making big shot, Wilder produced a string of acclaimed features, including Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole and Some Like it Hot. With such iconic films littering the man's resume, it is perhaps no surprise that are many entries…Read more Film Review: One, Two, Three (1961)
Examining Exodus: How Ridley Scott’s Film Hates Not Only Brown Actors, But All Actors
"I can’t mount a film of this budget [...] and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such." - Ridley Scott (2014) A feeling of castration and omission pervades the heart of Ridley Scott's new film, the big, lumbering, impersonal and frankly idiotic Exodus: Gods and Kings. Not only do many of the…Read more Examining Exodus: How Ridley Scott’s Film Hates Not Only Brown Actors, But All Actors
Film Review: Ida (2014)
With its startling use of black and white and meticulous compositions, one can understand how Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida has distinguished itself and been tipped as Poland's Academy Award entry for Best Foreign Film. Underneath this veneer, however, is where the film's treasures truly exist. Focusing on a repressed, tight-lipped nun (who is on the verge of…Read more Film Review: Ida (2014)
The Complex – Chapter III: The Circle
The office was located inside a three bedroom apartment that was shared with two clients. Stepping inside, he sighed with relief at how much better the apartment looked at night. The late evening darkness cloaked the room, which masked much of its generally disheveled nature. He walked down the hallway of the apartment towards the office,…Read more The Complex – Chapter III: The Circle
Film Review: The Theory of Everything (2014)
In the realm of public intellectuals few loom larger than Stephen Hawking, the iconic theoretical physicist and ALS sufferer. The magnitude of the man's life and career goes largely unrealized in the new film The Theory of Everything, which is salvaged through the extraordinary pathos evoked by stars Eddie Redmayne (who plays Stephen) and Felicity…Read more Film Review: The Theory of Everything (2014)
Adam Mohrbacher 