Guy Ritchie used to make a certain kind of movie. Irreverent, violent, cartoonish ensembles set in the English underworld, his films ‘Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels’ and ‘Snatch’ launched careers (Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones) and brought the seedier (and often unintelligible) side of London to a mainstream pop audience. Scuzz, but entertaining scuzz, Ritchie… Continue reading ‘The Gentlemen’ – Guy Ritchie Doing What He Does?

Recent history has given us two incredibly crafted wartime movies by British filmmakers. Christopher Nolan’s tense thrill ride from two years ago played with time and cross editing to place the audience into the WWII action of the beaches of France. Fellow countryman Sam Mendes goes further back in time and gets a similar result… Continue reading ‘1917’ – A Simple War Story, A Complex Presentation?

Love him or hate him, there is no denying Adam Sandler is a unique comedic talent and unbridled force of nature. When filmmakers, like The Safdie Brothers have done with ‘Uncut Gems’, effectively tap into that raw nerve of manic energy, the end result is nothing short of a cinematic miracle. Josh and Benny Safdie,… Continue reading ‘Uncut Gems’ – An Unrelenting Two-Hour Heart Attack Through the Diamond District?

This is it. The end of the Star Wars saga films. Nine episodes. Forty-two years. Three sets of trilogies. Five directors. One Emperor. That’s right, the trailer featured his voice, the poster featured his face – here he is, right in the opening crawl, and immediately this chain of films becomes clear, that ‘from a… Continue reading ‘Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker’ – Is This Really The End?

The saying, ‘they don’t make em like they used to,’ gets bandied about a lot these days in reference to going to the movies. The reality is that for all the hand-wringing over the lack of adult fare, too many superheroes, etc., there are still plenty of options for moviegoers not content to wait for… Continue reading ‘Ford v Ferrari’ – An Old-School Crowdpleaser?

As evidenced by his sprawling mobster/Teamster epic, ‘The Irishman’, Martin Scorcese still has interesting stories to tell. In this case, it’s the long, sordid tale of Frank Sheeran, the titular unmade man who rose through the ranks of both the mafia and the trucking union as a stoic middleman and unabashed, unapologetic, workman thug. Throughout… Continue reading ‘The Irishman’ – Scorcese and Co. at Their Most Contemplative?

‘Parasite’, Bong Joon Ho’s newest cinematic exercise in class warfare is best left seeing completely blind. Experiencing the film is to watch a master of the form meticulously construct an ever evolving narrative through character, setting, and, while taking place in Seoul, South Korea, the universal theme of income disparity. It won the Palme D’Or,… Continue reading ‘Parasite’ – A Masterful Farce of Haves v Have-Nots ?

When the best thing that can be said about yet another attempt to recharge James Cameron’s classic sci-fi/action ‘Terminator’ franchise is that it’s not THAT bad compared to past attempts, it’s probably best to retire it. ‘Dark Fate’ is the sixth film in a series that started in 1984 on a shoestring budget and succeeded… Continue reading ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ – Time to Officially Give Up on this Franchise?

The much maligned ‘Star Wars’ prequels have had so much negative ink through the years that it has become tiresome. No matter what many fans and critics may desire, these movies are still an indelible part of the history of the sci-fi fantasy saga. The anticipation for Episode I in the years and months leading… Continue reading ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’ – Better Than You Remember?