Film Reviews

Film Review: The Human Resources Manager (2010)

Road movies are a tricky business. There are few things in life that are quite as invigorating as uprooting yourself from the banal circumstances of “everyday” life and heading out to unexplored territory. Unfortunately, the process of converting this experience to a cinematic format is rarely successful. The Human Resources Manager is no exception to this trend,…Read more Film Review: The Human Resources Manager (2010)

Film Review: World War Z (2013)

In the recent adaptation of World War Z, Brad Pitt faces the most bloodless apocalypse ever seen on film. Violence is certainly depicted. Planes fall from the sky and entire cities are wiped off the map; yet we see little in the way of real human carnage. Even humanity's undead adversaries, who move with frenzied,…Read more Film Review: World War Z (2013)

Film Review: The Dark Knight Returns – Part I (2012)

Frank Miller’s 1986 mini-series, The Dark Knight Returns (DKR), is set in a dystopian future. Featuring an aging, alcoholic Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement to combat a rising tide of criminality, the series set off shock waves that are still being felt over two decades later. Often imitated yet rarely equaled, possible adaptations of DKR have been discussed for…Read more Film Review: The Dark Knight Returns – Part I (2012)

Film Review: Roll Out Cowboy (2010)

Balancing one’s creativity with one's finances is an arduous endeavor. Such is the case for the main subject of the new documentary Roll Out Cowboy, which is compassionately directed by Columbia College alum Elizabeth Lawrence. In Lawrence’s engaging film we follow a somewhat outrageous character named Chris Sand whose stage name is Sandman: The Rappin…Read more Film Review: Roll Out Cowboy (2010)

Film Review: The Man Who Laughs (1928)

If one is to have an association with The Man Who Laughs it is probably due to Conrad Veidt’s freakish appearance enduring in popular memory as one of the dominant visual images to inspire the appearance of Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s The Joker. Still, all pop-culture connections aside Paul Leni’s evocative film adaptation of…Read more Film Review: The Man Who Laughs (1928)

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)

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

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)

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)