Film

The Amateur: A spy in nerd’s clothing For the most part, James Hawes’ The Amateur eschews action set pieces, taking a more cerebral approach in this globe-trotting adventure that sees a tech analyst best the James Bond-types again and again. Combining the fish-out-of-water trope with a standard revenge thriller, the result is a film that […]

Due to its inherent nature, there’s always a bit of a remove between the viewer and what they see on the screen. Since the invention of cinema, filmmakers have been attempting to bridge the gap between fiction and reality, trying to make the movie-going experience as immersive as possible. Gimmicks such as 3-D and Sensurround, […]

Friend a testament to the power of pets I don’t have to tell those who have dogs as pets how wonderful their canine companions are. Studies have shown having one increases the owner’s life expectancy and helps relieve stress, while their presence is like having a live-in therapist. If you own one and your response to […]

Deft touch makes for poignant Penguin Peter Cattaneo’s The Penguin Lessons is a loose adaptation of the best-selling memoir by Tom Michell, which recounts his teaching experiences in 1976 Argentina. In the film adaptation, the instructor is presented as a burnt-out recluse, a man who takes this position because he has no family, has nothing […]

Dual De Niro’s a Knights asset There’s an unfortunate gimmick hanging over Barry Levinson’s The Alto Knights, a gangster chronicle that covers a heretofore unexamined chapter in mob history, at least where the movies are concerned. Two-time Oscar-winner Robert De Niro takes on the dual roles of rival gangsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. One […]

Novocaine too much of a bloody thing The DNA of Dan Berk and Robert Olsen’s Novocaine is evident from the start. The fingerprints of Nobody, Home Alone, Road Runner cartoons and any Jackie Chan movie are all over this actioner with a gimmick and, to their credit, the filmmakers acknowledge these influences. Yet, they bring […]

Mickey 17: A testament to individuality News of reshoots and long nights in the editing room, as well as ever-changing release dates, are hardly good omens regarding any film. Yet, such difficulties plagued director Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17, an adaptation of the novel by Edward Ashton. The one-step-forward-two-steps-back progress of the filmmaker’s follow-up to […]

Taut Breath a testament to ingenuity and faith There are a great many moving parts necessary to keep an undersea pipeline operational. A job many don’t think of is that of the saturation diver. When repairs are needed on the pipeline, it falls to them to fix it, sometimes requiring dives of up to 1,000 […]

Mad the latest in a tired franchise This big-screen adaptation of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is – and I’m being kind – a mixed bag. While there are some undeniably poignant moments, for the large part the film is collection of remnants, scenes and events, far too reminiscent of others from previous […]

Brave: All action, little substance Narratively, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is a paradox doomed from the start, as it simultaneously has too much story, and yet, not enough. Those who haven’t been with the MCU from the start or done a deep dive into its history are likely to be at sea with its […]

September 5 a gripping piece of history When ABC dispatched Roone Arledge and his Wide World of Sports team to cover the 1972 Olympics in Munich, they knew the event would be covered in the most comprehensive and engaging way possible. Having cut their teeth for over a decade presenting myriad sporting events from around […]

Corbet’s complex Brutalist rewards the patient Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist is an anomaly in the current cinematic landscape. An emotional epic, it traces the course of one man’s efforts to rediscover his identity and place in society, taking its time to consider myriad aspects of his resurrection. Deliberately paced, the film runs well over three hours […]