Cinemascoping

Having made a film about a youth gang leader in Johannesburg (Tsotsi, winner of the 2006 Oscar for Best Foreign Film), a questionable interrogation process used by the United States (Rendition), a rogue superhero (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and a child prodigy whose psychic abilities are corrupted by the military (Ender’s Game), one would think that […]

Why some movies are successful at the box office and others aren’t has always fascinated me, particularly those that have very low budgets yet go on to gross ridiculous sums of money.  A prime example of this occurred in 2002 with Nia Vardalos’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film that plays like an extended […]

And to think, it all started with a free pretzel. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected of places and that was certainly the case with Melissa Rauch and her husband Winston who, years ago had gone to a mall in New Jersey and were given a free pretzel.  “I was on this show called […]

If you’ve ever found yourself caught up in a game of Three Card Monte, you’ll have some idea of what sitting through John Hillcoat’s Triple 9 is like. Simultaneously over-plotted yet full of holes, the director has assembled a first-rate cast that does their best to bring a degree of emotional integrity to the film […]

Ave Maria (Palestine/France/Germany) – Taking place on Palestine’s West Bank, a Israeli family’s car runs off the road and crashes into a convent where five nuns who have taken a vow of silence reside.  What with the Sabbath having just come into effect, the members of the family are unable to use the phone to […]

There’s a moment in the needless but seemingly obligatory Ride Along 2 in which everything clicks.  Reluctant partners and pending brothers-in-law James (Ice Cube) and Ben (Kevin Hart) are interrogating a beautiful young woman, trying to find out where her ne’er-do-well boyfriend might be.  With the suspected perp’s cellphone in hand, Ben goes through the […]

Surprisingly, there’s something of an intriguing story propelling Ericson Core’s remake of Kathryn Bigelow’s cult action flick Point Break, a movie that, despite it’s many fans, isn’t above an update or two what with the many technological advances that have occurred since its release in 1991 (yes, it’s been that long.).  Slickly made and featuring […]

Obviously, director Sean Anders and his crew are well-aware they’re not on the road to creating something akin to Citizen Kane when they set out to make a movie like Daddy’s Home.  I would imagine that, in addition to having a rip-roaring time when they show up to work each day, the intent is to make […]

 As with any movie in the Rocky series, you pretty much know what you’re getting with Ryan Coogler’s Creed, a clever offshoot to the seemingly unstoppable boxing franchise that Sylvester Stallone started on a wing and a prayer.  However, the actor, who wrote each of the previous six entries and directed four of them, has […]

And so it finally comes to an end, as Francis Lawrence’s Mockingjay-Part 2 brings the curtain down on the big-screen adaptations of Suzanne Collins’ cash cow The Hunger Games. Those who have read and re-read the author’s books can attest to whether these films have been true to their source; as for me I’ve been hooked […]

Within the first ten minutes of Steve Martino’s The Peanuts Movie, we are re-introduced to all of the key characters in Charles Schulz’s universe, Charlie Brown has been upended on the pitcher’s mound – his clothes scattered to the four winds- after his best fastball has been rocketed back to him, Snoopy has stolen Linus’ […]

Angelo Pizzo’s My All-American is a movie with the best of intentions, most of them presented in a manner that would be better suited to a film from the 1950’s. All of the characters here have the depth of a shallow puddle, all conflicts are surmountable through hard work and determination and America is a […]