Film Review: Arbitrage (2012)
At one point in Nicholas Jarecki’s film Arbitrage Richard Gere’s hedge fund big wig, Robert Miller, is asked if he honestly thinks money is going to solve the problems he has created for himself, to which he responds, “What else is there?” The line is spoken with a beautiful air of genuine, nuanced incredulity and…Read more Film Review: Arbitrage (2012)
“I’m As American As It Gets” – On the Murky Immigration Politics of Man of Steel
If there is a half-way coherent theme in Zach Snyder's polarizing mega-film, Man of Steel, it is the trauma of choice. More specifically, Steel relates the dichotomized inner-life created through the experience of immigration, where one simultaneously feels the pressures of nationalism for one's current home, and vestiges of loyalty towards the individual's original homeland, and then must…Read more “I’m As American As It Gets” – On the Murky Immigration Politics of Man of Steel
BluRay Review: Four Weddings and a Funeral
Published on Film Monthly in 2012 A young Hugh Grant, periodically sporting a pair of round-rimmed glasses and looking curiously similar to a certain bespectacled young wizard, is the focal point of director’s Mike Newell’s (the man behind the Goblet of Fire and Prince of Persia) endearing yet forgettable 1994 feature, Four Weddings and a…Read more BluRay Review: Four Weddings and a Funeral
Really That Bad? – Roberto Benigni’s Pinocchio
In cinematic history there are very few films that were more destructive to a career than Heaven’s Gate was to Michael Cimino. While perhaps not entirely on that epic level of failure, Roberto Benigni (remember him?) experienced a similarly dramatic fall from grace after the release of his adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s prolific tale of…Read more Really That Bad? – Roberto Benigni’s Pinocchio
Film Review: Batman and Robin (1997)
At one point in 1997′s Batman and Robin an enraged Mr. Freeze (curiously endowed with a thick Austrian accent) hilariously bellows at the Caped Crusader to “Freeze in Hell!” Now, this statement is notable due to its impractical silliness, but also for concisely channeling the sentiments that many movie-goers were feeling for this temporary franchise killer and the…Read more Film Review: Batman and Robin (1997)
Top Ten: Best Freak Outs in Film
There is nothing quite like a good film freak out. Whether it is James Cagney giggling with macabre glee before spraying a 1930′s cityscape with gunfire or Nicholas Cage flailing about the inside of a bear costume, a good freak out can light up a movie like nothing else. From the hilarious, to the disturbing,…Read more Top Ten: Best Freak Outs in Film
Film Review: Man of Steel (2013)
At one point in Man of Steel the ethereal spirit of Big Blue’s long-deceased papa Jor-El grimly assures his son that he will not only be able to save Lois Lane from the fiendish General Zod, but all of humanity. This statement becomes increasingly more absurd as the movie moves towards its finale: a big albeit vapid rumble in the…Read more Film Review: Man of Steel (2013)
Film Review: Sutures (2009)
Violence has been an integral quality of film since its inception. From the wild antics of Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp to modern-day meditations such as Irreversible, Fight Club or Eastern Promises, violence has nearly always been present. Used sparsely and responsibly on-screen movie violence can carry enormous power. It has the ability to launch explorations…Read more Film Review: Sutures (2009)
Film Review: Nine (2009)
As this decade comes to a close it is interesting to look back upon some of the more significant developments that have occurred inside the film industry. Over the past few years we have experienced the rise of the Apatow comedy, the superhero film genre has infested the marketplace, and the musical regained its commercial footing, starting in 2001 with Baz…Read more Film Review: Nine (2009)
Adam Mohrbacher 