Archive | June 2013
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The Cronenberg Chronicle-Phase Fifteen: The Brood (1979)
As I’ve been doing ever since launching this Chronicle some 15 months ago, I’ve given the monthly Cronenberg feature a fresh watch. But I don’t believe I’ve ever struggled so much with how to approach writing an entry until pondering “The Brood”. For instance, how plausible is it to cover the main gist of the […]
Richard Matheson…he is legend.
We lost a giant of the industry a couple of days ago…one that I’ve admired for decades. New Jersey native Richard Matheson, author of some of the most enduring horror and science fiction stories of the 20th century, has left us at the age of 87. His list of film and television credits is so […]
The Last Stand
After a recent crushing disappointment starring a man hoping to be the latest international action superstar(I’m talking to you Henry Cavill and your tepid “Man of Steel), comes the surprisingly sharp return from a senior citizen whom at one time was the biggest movie star in the world. And part of the success is due […]
Man of Steel
Well, they blew this one…and I guess the writing was on the wall. I never felt that what worked for the Caped Crusader would work for the Man in the Red Cape, but I held out hope. Superman and Batman are two entirely different animals, however. And while Christopher Nolan did a marvelous job in […]
Side Effects
It’s a nifty, twisty, sexy, little thriller…so what if I saw the denouement coming at roughly the halfway point. It’s still a lot of fun. Plus, director Steven Soderbergh throws us a few extra surprises towards the wrap-up, so I wasn’t 100% on target. The acting is so solid, the writing so deft, and the direction so […]
Before Midnight
Another nine years have passed…and all is not so well. Oh, don’t worry—“Before Midnight” is a superb film. It’s the central relationship that has seen its better days. And what could we have expected for Jesse(star and co-writer Ethan Hawke)and Celine(star and co-writer Julie Delpy) after almost a decade together as 41 year-old parents to […]
“Man of Steel” soars as Superman returns
I may not be as excited as I was before reading the consensus lukewarm responses from the U.S. critics, but I still plan on taking my 8 year-old to see “Man of Steel” at some point this week. And the weekend numbers were pretty damn good. Not “Iron Man 3”, “The Avengers”-good, but still not-too-shabby […]
Warm Bodies
Romeo and Juliet with zombies? Shakespeare must be rolling in his grave. But why not? We not only live in an age where the multiplex screens are perpetually burdened with tales of teenage lovestruck vampires and werewolves, but also one that has the original novels of said films regularly littering the New York Times bestseller […]
Frances Ha
Noam Baumbach films are glorious in their imperfections. They are off-beat, off-kilter, a little bit cool, somewhat pretentious—but they always seem to work beautifully. The delightful “Frances Ha” is no exception, and for two consecutive releases now, Noah has cast his charming, infectious muse, Ms. Greta Gerwig(they are in a relationship after-all—Gerwig also co-wrote the […]
Durang! Lauper! Letts!
Sometimes the veterans win, and simply being a movie star isn’t enough. That was the message sent out by Tony voters on Sunday night, and it was nice to see. Case in point: Tom Hanks has been a lovable and, until recently, bankable movie star for three decades. And just a few hours ago he […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 