Archive | October 2016
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Ron Howard douses “Inferno”
Let’s face it…Ron Howard is awful. Now, I don’t mean as a human being, because he seems like a heck of a nice guy. In fact, I ran into him once at an industry event, someone called him “Opie”, and he simply smiled and nodded, and took it with good nature. I respect him for […]
Flashback: on 1992’s Bob Roberts
Recently, I revisited “Bob Roberts”. More folks need to see “Bob Roberts”. I have no idea why Tim Robbins stopped directing features after three exceptional films in the 1990s (Oscar-winning “Dead Man Walking” in 1995, and the marvelous “Cradle Will Rock” in 1999, were the other two), but it was a loss for us all. […]
Eighteen Elite
Over the summer, I saw my 200th theatre production in the last thirty years. This covers all qualified stage performances from 1986 thru the first portion of 2016. Most are from Broadway and Off-Broadway, but I’m proud to have attended a number of regional productions (professional & amateur) all around the New York Metro area, as […]
Hitchcock/Truffaut
Pretty much the cinematic equivalent of Einstein sitting down with Copernicus. This is the 100th 2015 film I’m reviewing here, so why not this little gem of a documentary. Alright, it’s too damn short at 80 minutes. So, there’s ample time given to “Vertigo”, “The Wrong Man”, and “Psycho”, along with snippets of “The Lodger”, […]
Ghostbusters (2016)
It’s got no balls. Now listen, before you completely misunderstand, I was rooting for these ladies. Hard. But Paul Feig’s direction, along with his co-screenwriter Katie Dippold, completely lets this talented cast down. It’s like they are running scared. From ghosts. Or the nostalgic apparitions of Murray, Ackroyd, Ramis, Hudson, Weaver, Moranis and Potts. Their long-in-the-tooth […]
“Deepwater Horizon” hit Berg
This is a confession. I’ve decided that I have to see more work from underrated director, Peter Berg. He’s had a few hits, he’s had a few bombs…but he usually makes an impression. Mr. Berg has helmed 8 features since 1998, yet I’ve only experienced two. Expect that to change soon, because I’m really getting […]
13TH
It’s astonishing in its effectiveness. Is “13TH” the best documentary of the year? Maybe. One thing is for certain–filmmaker Ava DuVernay has fulfilled the promise that she made with “Selma” a couple of years back. I wanted to LOVE “Selma”. Honestly. But I couldn’t. It had its moments, but it simply came off as another […]
Swiss Army Man
Say this for Harry Potter–he’s a risk taker. Daniel Radcliffe is only 27 years old, and has been world famous for (at the very least) 15 years, since first appearing in the film series based on J. K. Rowling’s incredibly popular fantasy books. But halfway through that 8-film trial, Mr. Radcliffe portrayed Alan Strang on […]
“Finding Dory” v “Zootopia”
Is there any doubt, that come Oscar time (the Academy Awards broadcast will be on Sunday, February 26th), that the battle will be between these two Disney behemoths? Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Dory” crossed the worldwide box office one BILLION dollar mark this past weekend. Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia” pulled off that SAME feat, earlier in the […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 