THE GENERAL IDEA Shane Carruth is a distinctively imaginative voice who is never gonna tell you precisely what’s going on in, nor cue you how he wants you to feel about, the unusually compelling films he makes. And when we say he makes films, he really makes ’em. Like damn … [Read More]
THE GENERAL IDEA Here’s the thing about movie comedies in recent years. They’re not funny. Well, a precious few are certainly. But the vast majority are pandering, forced, uncreative lowest common denominator exercises in witless tripe. Makes you long for the days when comedies actually featured…well…comedy. Take 1985’s “Lost in … [Read More]
THE GENERAL IDEA Four disgraced Catholic priests and a mysterious nun live together in a house situated in a remote seaside town. Each must atone for sins of the past. Collectively they comprise the “The Club”. And they don’t take kindly to guests. THE GOOD Chilean Director Pablo Larraín (who … [Read More]
THE GENERAL IDEA I have found Australian cinema to be roundly satisfying, particularly as regards recent entries. However, I’d like to go back some four and a half decades if you’ll so indulge to discuss a film that even now delivers one helluva wallup. 1971’s “Wake in Fright” follows an English school teacher (the late … [Read More]
THE GENERAL IDEA James Caan is Axel Freed, a gambling addict hell-bent on self-destruction in the gritty 1974 crime drama “The Gambler”. A college literature professor by day, Axel wages a vicious war with himself off campus during his off hours, shattering the limits of both underground and legit wagers. … [Read More]
The General Idea What begins as an emotional exploration of coming to terms with unbearable loss evolves into something even more decidedly dark in the psychological thriller “The Invitation”. Logan Marshall-Green (“Prometheus”, “As I Lay Dying”) is Will, who along with his girlfriend accepts a request to attend a dinner … [Read More]
With the baseball season in full swing now here’s a throwback to one of the sport’s stars of the past whose legacy after he left the game is far more lasting than anything he ever did on the diamond. You don’t have to be a fan of baseball as I am to appreciate the … [Read More]
With the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs getting under way this week, I thought it would be fun to dip into the archives for my review of the 2011 dramedy hockey flick “Goon”. Right off the bat (or “stick” in the case of this hockey comedy/drama) I thought that “Goon” was going to be really … [Read More]
I truly believe that I could watch Jake Gyllenhaal order a double tall non fat soy latte at Starbuck’s, sit down at a table, open up the L.A. Times and then read the damn thing from cover to cover and I would find it resolutely compelling. This established, it’s … [Read More]
With the proliferation of faith-based movies currently in theaters now (“Miracles from Heaven”, “God’s Not Dead 2”, “The Young Messiah” among others) I thought it would be interesting to review one among the genre from 2011, “Higher Ground”. THE GENERAL IDEA As a Christian, “Higher Ground” is kind of a tough … [Read More]
The essence of baseball is the primal battle between the pitcher and batter, but the magic of the game arises from that confrontation, only 396 milliseconds in the making. The mysteries and memories of Baseball’s greatest heroes are revealed in “Fastball,” featuring interviews with dozens of former players, from legendary … [Read More]
When Krisha shows up at her sister’s Texas home on Thanksgiving morning, her close and extended family greet her with a mixture of warmth and wariness. Almost immediately, a palpable unease permeates the air, one which only grows in force as Krisha gets to work cooking the turkey and trying to make … [Read More]