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Many people will think that one of the “cool” things about This Means War was that none of the stars knew the actual ending to the film before its worldwide premiere. Although this may seem “cool,” it actually shows how terribly planned the movie was. If you don’t have a definite plan in mind, how can you possibly create a story that makes sense with [...]
Coming off a quiet 2011, Denzel Washington got back onto the big screen in Swedish director Daniel Espinosa’s Safe House. Washington, one of Hollywood’s most consistent performers, has a reputation for being type-cast for certain roles, making this film seem a little familiar. Although it wasn’t very easy to love, the film also is tough to completely detest. That’s probably not what the film was [...]
American history has seen its share of sweep-under-the-rug stories that we avoid talking about. Perhaps I was too young to completely understand the misguided and utterly corrupt events that marred the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during the late 1990s, which are widely known as the Rampart scandals. These scandals are the focus of Oren Moverman’s crime drama Rampart, which finally gets its wide release [...]
When you actually think about it, it’s surprising we didn’t get a found-footage superhero movie before 2012. The superhero genre has been going for decades, but has really gained steam since the success of the newest Batman franchise. Likewise, the found-footage genre has substantially increased since the success of The Blair Witch Project back in 1999. Combining both of these genres, like Josh Trank’s Chronicle, [...]
The Man vs. Nature genre has seen its fair share of movies, with the majority being unfortunate pieces of work. While the theme may come up a lot, films that are willing to take risks are the ones with the opportunity to prosper, becoming more than what viewers have come to expect. In terms of Joe Carnahan’s (Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team) The Grey these risks [...]
When it comes to national and historical tragedies, previous movies have taught us to err on the side of caution, meaning wait as long as possible. That doesn’t mean that the horrific attacks of 9/11 can’t be used in cinema; however, it does mean that fictional work that directly uses the tragedy will be highly controversial, especially if the film debuts just 10 years after [...]
Fresh off the heels of the late year push by Hollywood comes the mostly dreaded January and February releases. Although I find this unfair to some quality films, it is unfortunately the route most studios take. On one hand, I wanted to give Contraband a legitimate shot, but on the other hand, I was afraid it’d play out like every other New Year action film. [...]
Wasting virtually no time, studio executives set out to produce an English adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s uber-successful best selling Millenium series. The first tale, titled The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was already made in native Sweden in 2009, but that didn’t stop Hollywood from creating an English version. While some may find the remake (I prefer the term re-adaptation) unnecessary, the people who care [...]
Let me start off by saying the film is good. I say this first because I have a feeling this may come off a bit more critical than praiseworthy. In the end, though, the film delivers in a way that makes it worth the trip to the theater. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is the sequel to Guy Ritchie’s 2009 hit Sherlock Holmes. In [...]
Each year, filmmakers are pushing the stylistic envelope, finding ways to make films visually stronger. In the case of the Mission: Impossible franchise, where each film becomes visually better as the series goes on, this progression is easily noticeable. This isn’t to say that each film gets better, but the action sequences tend to. The same can definitely be said about the fourth installment, Brad [...]
