Category Archives: Uncategorized

Violence Justified by the Story

Immortals (2011) Dir: Tarsem Singh Stars: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans and John Hurt This film is one of those where you watch the preview and say to yourself either, “I’m in!  Can’t wait!” or, “I … Continue reading

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What happened to those “checks & balances” from Civics class?

J. Edgar (2011) Dir: Clint Eastwood Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts and Josh Lucas This film is obviously a biographical drama.  It concerns the story of J. Edgar Hoover, told from the man’s perspective as he dictates the … Continue reading

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A very old movie for a very old season

Nosferatu (1922) Dir: F.W. Murnau Stars: Max Schrek, Gustav von Wangenheim and Greta Schroeder I think this must be the oldest film I’ve ever commented on, but it’s not the oldest movie I’ve ever seen: as if I needed to … Continue reading

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“Welcome to the Layer Cake, son…”

  Layer Cake (2004) * Burke Favorite * Dir: Matthew Vaughn Stars: Daniel Craig, Colm Meany, Michael Gambon, Jamie Foreman, Sienna Miller and Tom Hardy This is just my kind of movie: I understand this British caper movie with drug … Continue reading

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Related to our discussion on film violence – Insidious & Drive

  Insidious (2011) Dir: James Wan Stars: Patrick Wilson, Rose Bryne, Lin Shaye and Barbara Hershey Insidious – Trailer Drive (2011) Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman Drive – Trailer … Continue reading

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It’s not about time travel

  Source Code (2011) Dir: Duncan Jones Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Lewis The credits start and there are numerous overhead shots of both downtown Chicago, and a commuter train headed for the city.  As the … Continue reading

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That “Who is THIS guy???” Role

American Psycho (2000) Dir: Mary Harron Stars: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny and Jared Leto I feel like many mainstream actors share this type of role early on in their career: it’s edgy, probably violent or shocking in some … Continue reading

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A briefer, more efficient post – perhaps the first of many…

No Strings Attached (2011) Dir: Ivan Reitman Stars: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Greta Gerwig, Lake Bell and Kevin Kline Author’s Note: The title of this post alludes to my intention to post a bit more often with perhaps less detail … Continue reading

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Now this is reality programming

Running the Sahara (2007) Dir: James Moll Stars: Charlie Engel, Ray Zahab and Kevin Lin Website: http://www.runningthesahara.com/about.html Believe it or not, back in 2008, I ran a half marathon.  All at once, no breaks!  And my first thought upon crossing the finish line … Continue reading

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Sex and Violence for the sake of themselves…

  Basic Instinct (1992) Dir: Paul Verhoeven Stars: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn and George Dzundza As far as movies go, Basic Instinct is a fairly typical thriller-suspense story – at least based on today’s standards.  There were only … Continue reading

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