When one is forced to think of directors typically associated with the western genre, only a few names leap instantly to mind. After one immediately blurts out "JOHN FORD" and "CLINT EASTWOOD" and fumbles around to say "um... well... oh gee... Sergio Leone?" the wellspring usually runs dry. This is certainly understandable; these men did…Read more Film Review: The Furies (1950)
Film Reviews
Film Review: One, Two, Three (1961)
Billy Wilder is a name synonymous with Hollywood classics. During his tenure as a movie-making big shot, Wilder produced a string of acclaimed features, including Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole and Some Like it Hot. With such iconic films littering the man's resume, it is perhaps no surprise that are many entries…Read more Film Review: One, Two, Three (1961)
Film Review: Ida (2014)
With its startling use of black and white and meticulous compositions, one can understand how Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida has distinguished itself and been tipped as Poland's Academy Award entry for Best Foreign Film. Underneath this veneer, however, is where the film's treasures truly exist. Focusing on a repressed, tight-lipped nun (who is on the verge of…Read more Film Review: Ida (2014)
Film Review: The Theory of Everything (2014)
In the realm of public intellectuals few loom larger than Stephen Hawking, the iconic theoretical physicist and ALS sufferer. The magnitude of the man's life and career goes largely unrealized in the new film The Theory of Everything, which is salvaged through the extraordinary pathos evoked by stars Eddie Redmayne (who plays Stephen) and Felicity…Read more Film Review: The Theory of Everything (2014)
Film Review: John Wick (2014)
As my good friend and fellow dweeb Nick Allen once pointed out: middle-aged killing machines have become the new normal in contemporary Hollywood actioners. Initiated by Liam Neeson's crusty John Mills in Taken, and expanded upon by Tom Cruise (Jack Reacher), Denzel Washington (The Equalizer), and Pierce Brosnan (The November Man), wizened bruisers have suddenly become as…Read more Film Review: John Wick (2014)
Film Review: Irma la Douce (1963)
Anyone familiar with the classic film The Apartment would think that a reunion between its director Billy Wilder, and its stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine would produce another charmer. Well, I'm here blabbering on the Internet to tell you that you're dead wrong. Reuniting just three years after their mega-hit, this distinguished trio produced…Read more Film Review: Irma la Douce (1963)
Film Review: Foxcatcher (2014)
Foxcatcher, the new film by director Bennett Miller, is defined by two attributes. It is a testament to the power of intuitive casting, and perhaps the year's greatest exploration of the promise of America. Recounting the bizarre relationship between Olympic wrestling brothers Dave and Mark Schultz, and millionaire John du Pont, Foxcatcher is a restrained…Read more Film Review: Foxcatcher (2014)
Film Review: Interstellar (2014)
There was a time when Christopher Nolan was cinema's golden boy. After the success of his early films, and especially after legitimizing the comic book film (with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) as a serious art form, it appeared that the director could do no wrong. Yet, in the interim between 2008 and 2012 it…Read more Film Review: Interstellar (2014)
Film Review: Brute Force (1947)
The 1947 prison drama Brute Force has a title that possesses a wide-range of applications. It forms the crux of the film's thematic focus of the prison edifice, which despotic head guard Captain Munsey (Hume Cronyn) views as an arena where might definitely makes right. However, while this sets up a semi-interesting discussion on the…Read more Film Review: Brute Force (1947)
Film Review: X-Men – Days of Future Past (2014)
"I've come a long way," says Wolverine (who is once again played by a hairy Hugh Jackman) in the latest installment of the X-Men franchise. This simple expression runs like a refrain throughout Days of Future Past, the seventh entry into the long-running series, and also one of its most minor. This phrase is also reflective…Read more Film Review: X-Men – Days of Future Past (2014)
Adam Mohrbacher 