"I don't know," James Bond says at one point in Spectre, when asked what would happen if he stopped to think about the reality of his violent life. This scene cuts to thematic core of Daniel Craig's Bond era. It is also, however, a moment you've seen before, specifically in Craig's first go-round as the…Read more Film Review: Spectre (2015)
Film Reviews
Film Review: Sicario (2015)
The lauded drug war film Sicario, produced by the semi-visionary director Dennis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy), is a good movie, just not a great one. Expertly shot, the film functions as a thrilling narco-crime drama, elevated (occasionally) into something operatic by commanding performances and palpable mood-building. Like Villeneuve's earlier films, the world of Sicario is a…Read more Film Review: Sicario (2015)
Film Review: Scarecrow (1973)
The 1970s are fondly and nostalgically remembered as a golden age for American cinema, which saw the release of a number of iconic, groundbreaking films. Of course, despite all of the Easy Riders and Raging Bulls of that period, the era also contained a number of stinkers. Perhaps more common however than either of those…Read more Film Review: Scarecrow (1973)
Film Review: Metropolis (1927)
Fritz Lang's towering Metropolis is a film that needs no introduction. Its influence on cinematic history is so powerful, so resonant to this day, that trying to write anything novel about it is probably an exercise in futility. However, seeing how futile is my middle name I've decided to give it the old college try,…Read more Film Review: Metropolis (1927)
Film Review: Observe and Report (2009)
The moment most critical for understanding Jody Hill's 2009 black comedy, Observe and Report, is played entirely for laughs. It occurs when the central character of the story, mall security guard Ronnie (played brilliantly by Seth Rogen), has resigned himself to following the antisocial nihilism of his co-worker Dennis (a hilarious Michael Pena). The two guards…Read more Film Review: Observe and Report (2009)
Film Review: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
"This never happened to the other guy." Uttered by George Lazenby in the opening scene of his only James Bond appearance, these infamous words signified the beginning of a new era for cinema's most famous super spy. They also encapsulate how Lazenby's sole Bond vehicle, 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (OHMSS), possessed a strange,…Read more Film Review: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Film Review: The Age of Adaline (2015)
Now available of DVD and BluRay, The Age of Adaline is a film that feels like it should mean more. Telling the story of a woman named Adaline (Blake Lively) who one day mysteriously stops aging, the film is the type of high concept epic that is rarely made, (unless you’re David Fincher and you…Read more Film Review: The Age of Adaline (2015)
Film Review: The Living Daylights (1987)
Every James Bond film involves a battle, and not just against a flabby big bad or an impending global catastrophe. Instead, the primary battle of the James Bond franchise is one of relevancy. Each adventure must answer some very big questions. How do you take a dinosaur of a character and make him feel fresh?…Read more Film Review: The Living Daylights (1987)
Film Review: The End of the Tour (2015)
If you're a writer the odds are against you regarding ever achieving success. Most of us are fated to toil in relative anonymity, while our creative output is stymied by the fiscal need to work a day job. That's why the new film about David Foster Wallace (played by a revelatory Jason Segel), and the…Read more Film Review: The End of the Tour (2015)
Film Review: Memories of Murder (2003)
Bong Joon-ho's masterful Memories of Murder is a great work of humanism, one which easily transcends its genre-trappings. Utilizing the 1980s Hwaseong serial murders as its launching pad, the film formulates a searing indictment of South Korean society from that era. It also parses the psychic scars left on those who were caught up in…Read more Film Review: Memories of Murder (2003)
Adam Mohrbacher 