When media titans like Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are involved with a project there is always the risk of having it colored by their influence. Thankfully, one has to do a little bit of sleuthing to unearth their involvement in The Hundred-Foot Journey. The words "From Academy Award Winning Director Steven Spielberg" are mercifully…Read more Film Review: The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
Film Review: Side Effects (2013)
Side Effects is a delicious piece of cinema, one which gradually reveals hidden layers that play to one's base instincts. Now, that being said, the film is also preposterous. Additionally, its lurid treatment of the culture of psychiatry and big pharmacy can't entirely obfuscate a rather grating, moralizing tone. It's somewhat of a disappointment that…Read more Film Review: Side Effects (2013)
Film Review: Noah (2014)
When one thinks of the biblical tale of Noah's Ark, rock giants don't immediately spring to mind. There are no pitched battles either, where hordes of half-crazed garbage people bum rush the infamous boat, desperately attempting to escape wide-spread ecological devastation. In fact, much of Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of the Noah mythos feels like a…Read more Film Review: Noah (2014)
Film Review: The Edge (1997)
What happens when you plop down a couple of famous faces in the Alaskan wilderness and pair them with a gross misrepresentation of animal behavior? Well, you get 1997's The Edge, which stars Anthony Hopkins (at his most regal) and Alec Baldwin (at his most greasy). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQZDxh5Im6E The Edge is a survivalist drama that strives…Read more Film Review: The Edge (1997)
Film Review: Mamma Roma (1962)
Mamma Roma begins by showcasing the emotive bombast of its star Anna Magnani, who is seen hooting, hollering, and cackling with unbridled glee in the center of the film's opening wedding scene. Magnani, one of the most forceful presences behind the neorealism movement, plays the titular Mamma Roma like her life depends on it. Her…Read more Film Review: Mamma Roma (1962)
The Complex – Chapter II: Sarah
And so he sat there - with only a few minutes to spare - staring at the snow that continued to amass upon his windshield. By morning the car would be entirely encased, its bulk indistinguishable from the glacial surroundings. He quietly cursed himself for moving back from Chicago. For as bad as the weather was…Read more The Complex – Chapter II: Sarah
Film Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
The title of this sequel/prequel/reboot is a bit of misnomer, suggesting that the film will chronicle something of grave importance. Yet, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ultimately falls short of that promise. The title is also on the verbose side, and its length is one of the problems that the film itself shares. These issues…Read more Film Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Film Review: Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom ends on lyrical note. A swooping aerial shot spins around in a moment of sublime romanticism, capturing the rosy color of the African countryside at sunset. A small figure walks across the hills: it is Idris Elba's Nelson Mandela, who is pumping his fists in the air with a rousing…Read more Film Review: Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
Film Review: The Rover (2014)
From Ravenous and Memento, to The Hard Word and The Proposition, Guy Pearce has shown himself again and again to be the posterboy for dirty, grim tales of crime and violence. These titles - where he typically embodies gaunt, unpredictable men - showcase the actor's preternatural ability to evoke both extreme emotion and remarkable restraint. In…Read more Film Review: The Rover (2014)
On A History of Violence and Darwinian Masculinity
“I am a complete Darwinian,” - David Cronenberg For many people, 2005's A History of Violence marked a turning point in David Cronenberg's career. The Oscar-nominated drama seemed a world away from the director's earlier films, offering a (deceptively) straightforward story about crime and hidden identities in bucolic Americana. Yet beneath the surface of the…Read more On A History of Violence and Darwinian Masculinity
Adam Mohrbacher 