When one thinks of Brett Ratner - one of Hollywood's resident homophobes - great filmmaking doesn't exactly spring to mind. Over the past ten years this paunchy businessman killed a billion dollar franchise (X-Men), gradually made another irrelevant (Rush Hour), and even found time to desexualize Pierce Brosnan and Selma Hayek - an idea one would…Read more Film Review: Hercules (2014)
2010s Reviews
Film Review: Birdman (2014)
Is Birdman the best film of the year? Well, that is always a tricky question. In a certain sense one would have to say yes; it's hard to imagine another film coming out that will be its equal in energy or aesthetic bravado. From its masterfully executed cinematography, to the cache of brilliantly delivered performances,…Read more Film Review: Birdman (2014)
Film Review: Obvious Child (2014)
As suggested in this excellent summation of Hollywood's dubious history with abortion, Obvious Child is not the revolutionary harbinger of pro-choice cinema. In fact, it is a movie with relatively modest ambitions, functioning primarily as a vehicle to showcase star Jenny Slate's powerful comedic and emotive gifts. It's legacy however will be how it contextualizes abortion for…Read more Film Review: Obvious Child (2014)
Film Review: Gone Girl (2014)
David Fincher once said that he has "always been interested in films that scar." It's easy to pick up on this ghoulish preoccupation in the director's own output, with barely a chuckle or ray of sunlight to be found throughout his nine features. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym3LB0lOJ0o Fincher's latest opus, the supremely accomplished Gone Girl (adapted by novelist turned…Read more Film Review: Gone Girl (2014)
Film Review: Behind the Candelabra (2013)
Director Steven Soderbergh's 2013 HBO film, Behind the Candelabra, chronicles the personal life of iconic performer Liberace, and is one which practices a remarkable level of restraint. While this does seem to strip the film of some psychological depth, it also gradually becomes a boon to the story. Moving throughout the only slightly heightened reality…Read more Film Review: Behind the Candelabra (2013)
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)
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: 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)
Adam Mohrbacher 