Enemy of the State Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Going into this Tony Scott marathon I’ve been on, I had a strong appreciation for both the front end and the back end of the filmography and a lot of question marks in the middle. It was fun, then, to see the transition he made between his two best films, True Romance […]
Crimson Tide Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Tony Scott’s 1995 submarine film has one of the most clever titles in movie history. It most obviously references the name of the ship where most of the film’s action takes place – the U.S.S. Alabama. Crimson is a color that also evokes imagery from the Soviet Union, and while Crimson Tide […]
5 Best Performances in Wes Anderson Movies
2014 has had its fair share of pleasures in its first month or so, but the biggest movie for cinephiles like myself to come so far this year (and for some, to come at all this year) is Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. I placed it #2 on my most-anticipated movies of 2014 list. […]
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Review
RATING: (0.5 STARS) It isn’t hard to see where Superman IV: The Quest for Peace goes wrong. Its awfulness hides in plain sight and renders the film as a whole nearly unwatchable. It’s a little like the sun—stare for too long, and you’ll feel physical pain. But then you start to feel a little bad […]
Superman II Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The behind-the-scenes story of Superman II is the stuff of legend, but one shouldn’t assume a project with such a messy history is itself a mess. On the contrary, Superman II (at least the theatrical version credited to director Richard Lester) is a slightly tighter, more suspenseful, and more entertaining film than […]
Superman Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Richard Donner’s Superman is very much a product of the Star Wars school of blockbuster filmmaking—big, ambitious themes masked in a familiar, satisfying story with sometimes spotty (by today’s standard), sometimes dazzling (by any standard) special effects that hide narrative deficiencies at every turn. The ink was hardly dry on the school’s […]
The Royal Tenenbaums Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson‘s masterpiece. As much as I admire and enjoy some of the man’s other films, this 2001 gem is unequivocally his most satisfying work to date. It’s easy to simply label it a quirky family dramedy, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Royal Tenenbaums […]
French Connection II Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) I immediately fell in love with The French Connection after seeing it for the first time. I found it gritty and exciting, as well as a brilliant and influential character study. I actually didn’t even know there was a sequel. It’s so rarely mentioned that it completely slipped under my radar. But […]
The French Connection Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Possibly the defining film in the gritty urban cop genre, “The French Connection†astonishes with its amazing direction, writing, and performance from Gene Hackman. The film grips you from beginning to end with its realistic portrayal of 1970s New York and its wild man lead character, Jimmy “Popeye†Doyle. It represents one […]
