Most people with even a cursory awareness of art cinema have seen or heard of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, F.W. Murnau's 1922 masterwork. Nosferatu is a film so powerfully rendered, so insanely memorable, that its continuing resonance over the past nine decades feels self-explanatory. This resonance has taken on many forms: from the appearance of the Nosferatu…Read more Film Review: Shadow of a Vampire (2000)
Film Reviews
Film Review: Rasputin – Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
Many were hit hard by Alan Rickman's death this past January, and it's easy to understand why. Immortalized by the Harry Potter franchise for his role as anti-hero Severus Snape, Rickman loomed large over a generation of moviegoers. The resonance of this role is so powerful that it's occasionally difficult to remember the varied nature of…Read more Film Review: Rasputin – Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
Film Review: The Night Before (2015)
The Night Before reunites the filmmakers behind 2011's great "cancer comedy": 50/50. There's Joesph Gordon-Levitt, again occupying the story's lead role. There's also Seth Rogen, again providing schluby support. Finally, there's Jonathan Levine, again taking the director's chair. Missing is 50/50's screenwriter Will Reiser, whose sensitive prose provided that film with the perfect balance of comedy…Read more Film Review: The Night Before (2015)
Film Review: Apocalypto (2006)
It's sometimes hard to remember that Mel Gibson is a formidable filmmaker. After the controversial release of 2004's Passion of the Christ, his arrests, and his slew of unhinged, drunken tirades, this talent became understandably lost in the shuffle. His 2006 effort Apocalypto (the last film Gibson directed) however, is a clear reminder of his directorial strengths. This ambitious, Mesoamerica-set action film…Read more Film Review: Apocalypto (2006)
Film Review: Dracula (1931)
The 1930s were a golden age for multiple movie genres. While many associate this decade with the rise of the gangster film, it was also a high point for cinematic horror, specifically at Universal Studios with its monster movie phase. Filled with notable titles, the Universal Monsters period included the release of classics like Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolf…Read more Film Review: Dracula (1931)
Film Review: The Intern (2015)
I want to preface this review with a simple declaration: The Intern, Robert De Niro's big film from 2015, is not a travesty. This isn't a Dirty Grandpa, nor is it a Heist, Killing Season or The Big Wedding. Instead, The Intern is probably closest to De Niro's 2009 vehicle, Everybody's Fine. Like that earlier…Read more Film Review: The Intern (2015)
Film Review: Interview With the Vampire (1994)
By the mid-90s Brad Pitt's star began to explode, with major roles in Legends of the Fall, Seven and 12 Monkeys. The film that initiated this period however was 1994's Interview With the Vampire. Based on the 1976 novel by Anne Rice, the film pairs Pitt with Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt, who at the time was already a…Read more Film Review: Interview With the Vampire (1994)
Film Review: Vampyr (1932)
If one were to compose a list of horror films that feature exemplary mood-building, the original Nosferatu would obviously make the cut. However, the lesser-known yet similarly-themed Vampyr would also demand inclusion. Written and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer (The Passion of Joan of Arc), Vampyr is a profoundly disturbing film, with a menacing tone that seems embedded…Read more Film Review: Vampyr (1932)
Film Review: In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
"The story of the Essex is the story of two men," we are told early in Ron Howard's latest film, the maritime adventure yarn, In the Heart of the Sea. It is a disingenuous statement however. While the film does grapple with important themes and contains a thrilling moment or two, it lacks well-written characters - male or female.…Read more Film Review: In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Film Review: 13 Hours – The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
Does Michael Bay have a spiritual side? There are glimmers of it found in his new film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, particularly when a bearded grunt named Boon (played by The Office's David Denman) begins reading aloud from Joseph Campbell's book, The Power of Myth. However, for the most part Bay's take…Read more Film Review: 13 Hours – The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
Adam Mohrbacher 