‘The Hateful Eight,’ the 8th full length feature film written and directed by modern master Quentin Tarantino, is his loving ode to the ‘spaghetti western,’ the particular subgenre of films in the 60s and 70s in which Italian filmmakers curated the cowboy mystique, most notably Sergio Leone’s Clint Eastwood ‘Man With No Name’ trilogy.   The movie… Continue reading ‘The Hateful Eight’ – A Sentimental Tarantino?

revenant: n. One who has returned, as if from the dead Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu follows up his Oscar-winning chamber piece, ‘Birdman,’ with something completely different in scope and content, the riveting survival revenge-western, ‘The Revenant.’  This extreme man vs. man vs. nature film tells the extremely harrowing tale of real-life frontiersman, Hugh Glass (Leonardo… Continue reading ‘The Revenant’ – You think your life is rough?

J.J. Abrams and company have crafted perfect blockbuster entertainment out of a film with so much expectation, it seems impossible that it could fulfill the dreams of so many.  Matching crisp, inspiring visuals with a real sense of adventure, and a wonderful balance of light and dark touches (pun intended), this franchise kick-start sets up promising… Continue reading ‘Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ – Awakening the inner child?

Christmastime holds a specific place in the pop-culture world.  The span of time between the Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas Day is filled with the familiar music, television shows, and films we’ve come to associate with this particular time of year.  My take on the top five movies is a decidedly modern (and in some cases… Continue reading Top Five Christmas Movies – Ho Ho Ho, Where’s My Machine Gun?

This Thanksgiving, movie audiences were served an incredible combination of nostalgia and modern filmmaking in ‘Creed,’ a new entry in the ‘Rocky’ saga that effectively manages to play on both the fondness for an indelible film character as well as introduce a new one to carry on the mantle.  In a surprising move, this under-dog story does… Continue reading ‘CREED’ – Has Fake Boxing Surpassed the Real Thing?

So ‘The Hunger Games’ series comes to a very unceremonious end with ‘Mockingjay Part 2’ and even powerhouse actress Jennifer Lawrence can’t save this poorly lit and staged, dreary, plodding mess of a film.  Perhaps it was the decision to split the final chapter into two drawn out segments when the subject matter didn’t warrant… Continue reading ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’ – Seriously . . . That’s It?!

While not capturing the ambition and artistry of previous James Bond masterpiece, ‘Skyfall,’ the Daniel Craig-fronted, Sam Mendes-directed follow-up, ‘Spectre,’ is nonetheless a solid entry in the 24-film franchise, if not a completely satisfying end to this cycle of character-driven, grounded films.  The filmmakers had an incredibly difficult task coming off of such a brilliantly… Continue reading ‘Spectre’ – How Important is Knowing Who’s Pulling the Strings?

The Danny Boyle directed, three-act ‘screen/play’, ‘Steve Jobs,’ proudly places its’ Aaron Sorkin screenplay front-and-center, at times to the detriment of what is a compelling, engrossing micro-portrait of a technological icon and notoriously prickly personality.  Where something like the David Fincher / Sorkin collab, “The Social Network,” used its’ sharp screenplay to drive stylized visuals… Continue reading ‘Steve Jobs’ – A Curious Representation of a Flawed Icon?

The horror genre has produced some of the most classic and indelible visuals on film.  Many great directors have gotten their starts, and made their mark in pop culture through their visions of the macabre, the disturbing, the profane, and the thrilling.  The following is my take on the greatest through film history.  Please note… Continue reading Top Ten Horror Films Countdown – Who’s Scared, You Scared?

Writer / Director Guillermo del Toro alternates his films between intimate, set-driven suspense/horror (‘The Devil’s Backbone’, ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’) and quirky big-budget spectacle (‘Hellboy’, ‘Pacific Rim’).  His new film, ‘Crimson Peak,’ basically falls into the former category, although in viewing it, from an aesthetic perspective, it is an assuredly grand spectacle loaded with acting talent.  Unfortunately,… Continue reading ‘Crimson Peak’ – Gothic horror style over substance?