HBO
All the Way on HBO
Well, this is becoming a comfortable little niche for director Jay Roach. Years past his “Austin Powers” trilogy heyday, Mr. Roach has directed a solid trilogy now, of political stories for HBO. And they were all first broadcast during Presidential Election years. 2008 saw “Recount”, based on the tumultuous Bush vs. Gore 2000 race for […]
Theatre on Video: John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown on HBO
Somehow, all three of the Theatre on Video reviews that I’ve written(so far)have been on one-man shows. This has not been by design, just the luck of the draw. But this one is easily the most ebullient and exciting of the trio, because John Leguizamo is such an energetic and diverse performer. He had me […]
Theatre on Video: Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth on HBO
It honestly was my intention to utilize this category much more frequently when I first announced it over a year ago. Unfortunately, this is only the second time a filmed theatre piece is getting a review here on the blog, so far(so much to see, so little time). A coincidence that both are one-man shows? Yeah, kind […]
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight on HBO
The smartest move director Stephen Frears makes, with this earnest HBO film, is letting Muhammad Ali be the star of it. Oh, the Parkinson’s afflicted, now septuagenarian, former 3-time heavyweight boxing king doesn’t actually perform in the finished product. But neither is there an actor enlisted to portray the great champion. However, this depiction of […]
Behind the Candelabra on HBO
Steven Soderbergh’s swan song? I doubt it. But if true, it’s not a bad one to go out on as a film director. At times, it’s downright wonderful. Too bad it ultimately fails to overcome some typical bio-pic clichés. But even though originally I had quite a few reservations when I heard Michael Douglas would […]
The Girl on HBO
Sienna Miller rocks the house as Tippi Hedren, the object of Alfred Hitchcock’s obsession in “The Girl”. She creates a stunning character that’s part impersonation and part terrific re-acting. She’s equal portions vulnerable, strident, proud and compliant. I loved what she did with her performance, and she’s quite beautiful in portraying the inexperienced star of […]
Hemingway & Gellhorn on HBO
There was a 15-year period from the mid 1970’s to around 1990 when Philip Kaufman was one of the most respected and consistent writer/directors going. I mean his resume was stellar. After a not-too-shabby start directing 4 diverse films from 1964 through 1974(and writing 3 of them), he began his remarkable streak of critical(and often […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 