Upon reading Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma, 19th century novelist Susan Ferrier commented, "I have been reading Emma, which is excellent; there is no story whatever [...]." In a way, this sums up so much about the Austen's text. There is barely any semblance of a story; the book consists of a collection of village…Read more Film Review: Emma (1996)
Film Reviews
Film Review: First Reformed (2018)
Tranquil masculinity is not part of Paul Schrader's cinematic worldview. For over 40 years, anguished, alienated, fatalistic men have dominated his scripts and been front and center in films that bear his name. Quite often, this has worked out well, producing studies of masculinity, criminality, sexuality, mental illness, faith and violence that are quite shattering…Read more Film Review: First Reformed (2018)
Film Review: Hellraiser (1987)
Back when video stores were still in vogue, I have distinct memories of passing the 1980's movie Hellraiser. This was due particularly to its distinctive cover, which features its most memorable character, Pinhead. Even at a young age, I remember being transfixed by the image. The pallid skin, evil snarl and, of course, abundance of…Read more Film Review: Hellraiser (1987)
Film Review: You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Considering the Trumpian age in which we live, it's difficult to make the case that we need another film that revolves around the wild exploits of an angry, violent, middle-aged white man. Yet that is just what Lynne Ramsay's incredibly cynical film, You Were Never Really Here, serves up, trading in the brutal, reactionary fantasies…Read more Film Review: You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Film Review: Dagon (2002)
We're still waiting for a high budget, no bullshit film adaptation of an H.P Lovecraft story. There have been notable efforts over the years. For instance, recent Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro bent over backwards to bring an adaptation of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness to fruition a few years back. The film was going to cost…Read more Film Review: Dagon (2002)
Film Review: Black Death (2010)
From 1347 to 1351, the black death, also known as the bubonic plague and the great mortality, swept across Europe. In four years, it killed between 75-200 million people and altered nearly every aspect of medieval life in the process - from literature and art to economics and religion. The plague is at the heart…Read more Film Review: Black Death (2010)
Film Review: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Many films are a "guilty pleasure," entertainment you know you shouldn't like and that you certainly wouldn't admit to liking in mixed company. It's more rare, however, when a film appears on the scene that blows that definition out of the water, a film that you not only wouldn't admit to liking in mixed company,…Read more Film Review: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Film Review: Home Again (2017)
It’s impossible to know fully why actors choose the roles they do. Whether it be the script, the subject matter or the chance to work with an admired collaborator, there are likely many reasons for an actor to sign onto a specific project. In the case of this year’s listless romantic comedy Home Again, one must…Read more Film Review: Home Again (2017)
Film Review: Extraordinary Measures (2010)
Most of the time Big Pharma appears in cinema as not only a malevolent force but a nearly satanic one. From The Constant Gardener and Resident Evil to Rise of the Planet of the Apes and 28 Weeks Later, this is an industry that ravages cinematic worlds with a hateful, sociopathic frenzy. That is why…Read more Film Review: Extraordinary Measures (2010)
Film Review: Danton (1983)
Directed by Andrej Wajda, the 1983 historical film Danton profiles the fiery revolutionary Georges Danton (Gérard Depardieu), a bombastic, self-proclaimed "man-of-the-people," who was also one of the leading figures in the early stages of the French Revolution. The film is no traditional bio-pic, however, instead solely depicting Danton's spectacular fall-from-grace and persecution by fellow revolutionary…Read more Film Review: Danton (1983)
Adam Mohrbacher 