Film Review: Kill the Messenger (2014)

Since its inception 40 years ago, the War on Drugs has been controversial, and even today it inspires debate over its efficacy, cost and character. This context partially frames director Michael Cuesta's new film Kill the Messenger, adapted from the 1998 book Dark Alliance by late journalist Gary Webb. In Webb's book – based off…Read more Film Review: Kill the Messenger (2014)

The Expendables 3: On the Grim Acknowledgement of the Action Hero’s Setting Sun

Sylvester Stallone's stubborn, borderline insane refusal to surrender to the normal human aging process is by now well-known. It has been well publicized for years, and the musclebound star has been communicative about it. In fact, a good majority of his work since 2006's Rocky Balboa has dealt with his rapidly advancing age in some…Read more The Expendables 3: On the Grim Acknowledgement of the Action Hero’s Setting Sun

Film Review: Cold Mountain (2003)

After the runaway success of Anthony Minghella's 1996 epic weepie The English Patient, it served as no surprise that the writer/director returned to similar material with 2003's Cold Mountain. The two films share several similarities. Both stories focus on nascent love ruined by war, and in each case the pair of lovers under duress are…Read more Film Review: Cold Mountain (2003)

Film Review: The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

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