Archive | April 2014
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Blue Caprice
It’s a pretty accomplished feature debut that Alexandre Moors has pulled off, but the style may not be one that you’ll expect. “Blue Caprice” is based on the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks that took place in Washington D.C., and kept the nation riveted by its seemingly random brutality—roughly a year after the events of 9/11 […]
Move over Super Heroes…”Boyhood” is this summer’s most exciting release!
“Captain America 2”. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”. “X-Men”…what is it, 7? “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Another “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. And should we include “The Expendables 3”, a live-action “Hercules”, and the latest blockbuster in Michael Bay’s mega-grossing “Transformers” series. Call it what you want, but with all either already open, or coming soon(from now […]
The Trials of Muhammad Ali
So much has already been spoken and written about this articulate, handsome, iconic, and perhaps greatest of all heavyweight boxing champions, that many may wonder, “what else is there to say”? But I ponder how many members of the younger generations even realize how Ali was unjustly stripped of his championship in 1967 upon his […]
“Godzilla” 2014…why my hopes are sky high!
First of all, the trailer kicks ass(see above). But that alone can’t move me, because I’ve been shot down by such before. Also, I just recently(last month)caught “Godzilla” star Bryan Cranston in his Broadway debut(find the “All the Way” review in the April and/or Theatre archives), and you’ll find him very prominent in the above […]
Flashback: on 1978’s Goin’ South
Well, it appears I’m making it a bit of a tradition to cover Jack Nicholson on the occasion of his birthday. Two years ago, I praised six of his magnificent performances(5 Oscar nominations, 6 Golden Globe noms)in honor of his milestone 75th birthday. This covered Jack’s prime period of 1969-1975. It’s when he first became […]
The Invisible Woman
In an almost whisper-quiet manner, renowned stage and screen actor Ralph Fiennes is becoming a very competent film director. With two features officially under his distinguished belt, some fans might make the mistake of finding his sophomore effort slight and inferior compared to his Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus” debut. That would be unfortunate, because despite the soap-opera […]
Captain America: The Winter Soldier 3D
Not only is this character the most interesting of the Marvel “Avengers” franchise, but Chris Evans nails the role as assuredly as the late Christopher Reeve did for Superman. Yes, I love Robert Downey Jr. and his rapid-fire talking, billionaire, genius playboy. In fact, Iron Man’s squabbles with the Captain were among my favorite scenes […]
David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars” trailer arrives!
I’m so excited I can barely contain myself. With no word yet on a North American release date for David Cronenberg’s 19th feature film release, at least we can revel in the reality that a trailer has finally been presented! It has French subtitles, and it’s strictly for adults only—but it’s thrilling to get a […]
Under the Skin
This past weekend turned into a bit of a Scarlett Johansson film festival for me, and if you’ll forgive my break in protocol—I’m going to review the one I saw most recently first. It’s been roughly 12 hours since I experienced Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” at my local multiplex, and it was such an […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 