Burroughs of Barsoom

So I did something which they tell me is rather unique for me. I went to go see a mainstream movie on its opening night. Weird, I know. I saw Disney’s John Carter (2012). I went into the theater expecting to be sadly disappointed as I had been when I saw The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the [...]

Everyone Was Kung Fu Fighting: the Story of Ip Man

For all the serious movies I watch (Tarkovsky, Mizoguchi, Bergman, Kubrick and the other wonderfully artistic “highfalutin” films I enjoy), I do confess I have a weakness for the kung-fu flick. Action is fun to watch and as a guy it’s sometimes hard not to be fascinated by violence and destruction in movies. Watching a [...]

Satellite of the Simians 2: Return to the Mad House

Sooooooooo if you recall I had a few things to say regarding The Planet of the Apes series from a previous article. Well, as it so happens I realized the other day that I had to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes for sheer completeness’s sake. So I saw it. Rise of the [...]

Trippin’

Simplicity still works. Michael Winterbottom has reminded us that sometimes comedies work best when they are slight and intimate. His naturalistic approach to filming two funny men talking at various restaurant tables is a refreshing bit of British humor. The Trip (2010), directed by Winterbottom and starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon is a much [...]

You’re an Odd Man, Charlie Bronson

One of my favorite films of 2009 seems to have been missed by many mainstream audiences. It is out on DVD in the United States and I strongly recommend you check it out. Nicholas Winding Refn (Pusher, 1996) directs and Tom Hardy (Layer Cake, 2004) stars in the British prison film and quasi-biopic based on [...]