Archive | November 2015
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Brooklyn
It’s absolutely lovely, and easily one of the finest films of 2015. Oh, it’ll grace my year-end Top 10, the only question is in what position. At this point, it just may be my favorite film of the year. Renowned theatre director John Crowley provides us with a gorgeous and fond remembrance of Irish immigrants […]
The End of the Tour
Maybe I’ll actually get to reading David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, soon. Oh, I’ve had a copy for almost twenty years–purchased back when it was the hot, new read for Manhattanites (I lived in a nearby suburb) in the late 1990’s. But it was just so daunting, that I never managed to get to the […]
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2”?…I prefer to starve.
I just can’t do it, I’m sorry. It’s in the cards that I’ll attend a new film this weekend (top contenders currently are “Brooklyn” and “Spectre”), but I just want to confirm that it won’t be the finale of this barely interesting franchise. If memory serves me correctly (I haven’t checked), I expressed similar sentiments last […]
Terminator Genysis
As far as I can glean, possibly the worst film I’ve seen in over two decades. “Terminator Genysis” is downright awful. I’ve gotten pretty good over the years (30 as a film critic, in one form or another, either in print or on broadcast), at finding something–anything–within a motion picture, that might be a reason […]
The Gift
It’s a nifty, little, psychological thriller. I think it misses greatness when the third act plot developments become a little too unwieldy, and ultimately overly familiar. Until getting close to unraveling though, it’s tightly plotted and very suspenseful. It was written and directed by actor Joel Edgerton, who also plays the creepy protagonist. We seen […]
“Hamilton” cast album…reviewed!
I’ve experienced dozens of Broadway musicals over the years, but three absolutely stand out from the crowd. In 1979, I was a 14-year-old theatre enthusiast, and seeing “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” was a revelation. It’s titanic production (some claimed TOO big) at the then Uris Theatre, was one of the galvanizing forces of […]
Southpaw
If you’ve never seen a boxing film in your entire life, I guess it would be plausible to label “Southpaw” a good movie. Other than that, you’d have no excuse to fall for this terrible script, from first-time feature writer, Kurt Sutter. His rookie status is apparent. The “Rocky” franchise, “Raging Bull”, “The Champ”, “Cinderella […]
Falling Back into the Holiday Season
Hey Mon! It was wonderful, fun-filled week, in the resort-laden Negril, Jamaica. All play…no work. But now that I’ve had my fill of colorful tropical drinks, endless buffets, and crystal clear ocean waters dappling white sand beaches–it’s back to the grind! And now that we’ve officially lost an hour of sunlight here in the United […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 