THE MOST DANGEROUS MISSION IN HISTORY. He broke through with a fierce drama about a young man with an exceptional musical talent. He followed it up with a masterful musical. And now he continues to impress with an ambitious film about Neil Armstrong and the mission to put a man on the moon. Damien Chazelle … Continue reading First Man: Fly Me to the Moon
SEDUCTIVE. DECEPTIVE. DEADLY. When a Russian ballerina (Jennifer Lawrence) breaks her leg during a performance, she’s recruited by her uncle (Matthias Schonaerts) to become a ”sparrow” – an undercover agent who uses her body to trap targets. The lauded novel was written by a former CIA agent with insight into Soviet intelligence, but this adaptation … Continue reading Red Sparrow
UNITE THE LEAGUE. After the death of Superman (Henry Cavill), Earth is threatened by a supervillain and his demonic legion, leading Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to form a league of heroes together with a couple of new talents. The DC Comics version of Marvel’s The Avengers tries hard to build … Continue reading Justice League
LOST IN OUR WORLD. FOUND IN ANOTHER. Edgar Rice Burroughs (Daryl Sabara) comes across John Carter’s (Taylor Kitsch) personal diary of how he was transported from 19th century Arizona to Mars where he became involved in a war. Andrew Stanton’s live-action directing debut came with a price tag so hefty it almost put Disney in … Continue reading John Carter
PRAY FOR MICHAEL SULLIVAN. There’s a deleted scene in this film where John Rooney (Paul Newman), a local Illinois mob boss, meets with the legendary Al Capone and his closest associate, Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci). Capone is played by Anthony LaPaglia, a very capable actor. In the end, though, director Sam Mendes decided to leave … Continue reading Road to Perdition: In Capone’s Shadow
Since Princess Elsa’s ability to create ice and snow is dangerously hard to control, she and her sister Anna are kept apart for safety reasons; years later, Elsa’s coronation ends in disaster… Once again, Disney heads back to a trusted well for another animated fairy tale and tweaks Hans Christian Andersen until he fits the … Continue reading Frozen
EVERY SECRET COMES WITH A PRICE. In 1997, a few aging former Mossad agents are still revered by their countrymen for killing a WWII war criminal in the 1960s, but they share a less flattering secret… A remake of the 2007 Israeli movie Ha-Hov that hasn’t changed much of the original story. We follow the … Continue reading The Debt
WHAT DID THEY SEE? In the early 1900s, young widower Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is sent by his employer to an English village where he’s to handle the paperwork regarding the sale of a large manor – that might just be haunted. Radcliffe’s first challenge after the Harry Potter movies is an old-fashioned, engaging ghost … Continue reading The Woman in Black
YOU CAN ONLY DEFEAT IT WHEN YOU BELIEVE. Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), who’s thinking about leaving seminary school due to a lack of faith, is sent to Rome to attend a class on exorcism where he’s introduced to Father Lucas Trevant (Anthony Hopkins), a seasoned veteran in the battle against demons. The Exorcist (1973) seems … Continue reading The Rite
TRUST NO ONE. SUSPECT EVERYONE. I prefer my spies dapper. I want to see them sip martinis and seduce women in one breath, and in the next kill enemy agents in cold blood. I want to see nifty little toys, fast cars and insane supervillains hiding in lairs that could only be designed by Ken … Continue reading Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Return of the Ringmaster
IT ALL ENDS. There are people who enjoy the Harry Potter books and films… and then there are Potterheads, the fanatics. I’ve always belonged in the former category. I read the first novel, then concentrated on the movie adaptations. I did care about what would happen to Harry and his friends, but never had the … Continue reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2: Closing the Book
SHOOT FIRST. SIGHTSEE LATER. Two hit men (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson) are sent to hide out in the Belgian town of Bruges after a botched killing, but their employer (Ralph Fiennes) has a secret agenda. Martin McDonagh’s feature film directing debut is a bit of an oddity – a charming gangster movie. It has irresistible … Continue reading In Bruges
THE BRAVEST PLACE TO STAND IS BY EACH OTHER’S SIDE. A group of Iraq War veterans return to their Texas hometown; when Sergeant Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) is told that he must go back for another tour of duty, he decides to go AWOL. Every movie about this war has a number of aspects to … Continue reading Stop-Loss
