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)
Film Reviews
Film Review: American Ultra (2015)
The cover art of the American Ultra BluRay depicts stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart walking coolly away from an apocalyptic explosion. With the fiery inferno raging behind them, they strut with a sort of casual abandon. Eisenberg has a pair of aviator sunglasses on, despite it clearly being night. Stewart carries a shotgun, but…Read more Film Review: American Ultra (2015)
Film Review: Steve Jobs (2015)
"I'm going to put a 1000 songs in your pocket." When Michael Fassbender's titular character utters this line late into the running time of Steve Jobs it takes you a second to register what he's talking about. When you do however you don't feel or think anything substantial. There is no marveling at the man's…Read more Film Review: Steve Jobs (2015)
Film Review: Spectre (2015)
"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 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)
Adam Mohrbacher 