With the War Trilogy behind him, the esteemed Roberto Rossellini moved himself out of the grime and the gloom of the war-torn European mainland with 1950's Stromboli. This would be the first film that the Italian heavyweight would make with the too-beautiful-for-words Ingrid Bergman. In Stromboli the actress plays Karin, a woman from Lithuania who…Read more Film Review: Stromboli (1950)
Film Review: A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
With its requisite one-liners, cackling, villainous dandies and violence free from moral inspection, the resurgent 80′s action vehicle is here to stay. Unfortunately, the results seem to be very hit or miss. Despite what you may have heard, A Good Day to Die Hard is not an atrocious film, it just isn’t a very good one. Rounding out the trio of new…Read more Film Review: A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
Hunchbacks, Hellfire and ANArKH: On the Differences and Shared Delirium of Two Frollos
As the primary antagonist from Victor Hugo's iconic novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dom Claude Frollo has appeared in all of the book's countless adaptations. What is a testament to this character's depth is how memorable he remains regardless of the medium. Take for example Disney's 1996 adaptation, which on its surface seems like…Read more Hunchbacks, Hellfire and ANArKH: On the Differences and Shared Delirium of Two Frollos
Film Review: Germany Year Zero (1948)
Aside from Vittorio De Sica there is no name that dominates the national film movement of Italian Neorealism more than Roberto Rossellini. A few years before the heavenly Ingrid Bergman would send Rossellini her now iconic letter, the Italian master was hard at work filming a series of searing war-time tales: Rome Open City, Paisan,…Read more Film Review: Germany Year Zero (1948)
American Hustle, Angels in the Outfield, Ed Wood: On the Various Forms of the Ensemble
With American Hustle finally being released in "fly-over" country; aka the boonies, aka the middle of the country, aka anywhere that is not New York or LA, one can at last enjoy the all-star cast which dominates the film. In watching Hustle it's hard not to think about the power of actors, especially the power…Read more American Hustle, Angels in the Outfield, Ed Wood: On the Various Forms of the Ensemble
Film Review: The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
With the release of the second installment of The Hobbit Trilogy it is now clear that the power and emotion of the first LOTR films is not coming back. The good news is that the pacing problems which plagued Jackson's first film are less detrimental here. The seemingly endless run-time of The Desolation of Smaug…Read more Film Review: The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Philosophy of the Bedroom: On The Insights and Limitations of Sade’s Dialectic
In his day the Marquis de Sade was a social pariah, an embarrassment to his family and a lecher whose pornographic sensibilities attracted the derision of Napoleon himself. However, in the roughly 200 years since his rather unremarkable death at the Charenton Asylum, Sade's life and work have been the subject of a revival and…Read more Philosophy of the Bedroom: On The Insights and Limitations of Sade’s Dialectic
Film Review: Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Zack and Miri (an effective Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) are two childhood friends who share an apartment and a friendship that they both insist is utterly platonic. Never amounting to anything after leaving high school ten years ago the two slackers spend their days wallowing about their dire financial situation, and working dead-end jobs…Read more Film Review: Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Film Review: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Early on in Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey's character, rodeo cowboy and electrician Ron Woodroof, is diagnosed with HIV. The two doctors who deliver this news, one being a soulless bureaucrat (Denis O'Hare), the other a bleeding heart (Jennifer Garner), attempt to outline the severity of his condition, finally telling him that he has only…Read more Film Review: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Film Review: The Hunger Games – Catching Fire (2013)
While I'm aware that I'll probably get hate mail from all of my adoring readers I still have to say it: Catching Fire is basically a carbon copy of the original Hunger Games. The film adaption of the second book from Suzanne Collin's derivative blockbuster series is certainly a movie for our times, with its…Read more Film Review: The Hunger Games – Catching Fire (2013)
Adam Mohrbacher 