CALCULATE YOUR CHOICES. The Treasury Department is looking into a mysterious man called ”the Accountant” (Ben Affleck) who was responsible for murdering several mobsters; at the same time, he’s hired to audit a robotics firm… An odd idea for an action-thriller, although it does begin to vaguely resemble a Batman story in disguise as it … Continue reading The Accountant
ON JUNE 24TH, FOUR ACCLAIMED DIRECTORS, GEORGE MILLER, JOHN LANDIS, JOE DANTE AND STEVEN SPIELBERG, TAKE YOU TO ANOTHER DIMENSION. The classic TV series that ran from 1959-1964 gets a big-screen adaptation where four episodes are reinterpreted by an excellent bunch of filmmakers; there’s also a very amusing prologue featuring Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks. … Continue reading Twilight Zone – The Movie
BUCKLEY VS. VIDAL. 2 MEN. 10 DEBATES. TELEVISION WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME. I’m writing this review in the midst of Donald Trump’s campaign for the U.S. presidency. What started as an empty circus act, cherished by angry rightwing voters who feel left out, has turned into something threatening. Not once through his nasty campaign … Continue reading Best of Enemies: The Original Crossfire
In the 19th century Nebraska Territory, spinster Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) volunteers to transport three women who have lost their minds back east, and enlists the help of a man (Tommy Lee Jones) she saves from being hanged. A genre-bending Western from Jones who succeeds in combining immense pain in the story with a sense … Continue reading The Homesman
According to a Gawker interview with director Ira Sachs, this film was primarily funded by 25 gay men and women who made money in other fields. It portrays part of the gay scene in New York City. For instance, there is a very amusing scene where the two leads visit Julius’, a landmark gay bar … Continue reading Love is Strange: Moving Out and Moving On
MANKIND WAS BORN ON EARTH. IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO DIE HERE. The day I saw this movie, I woke up feeling sad over what is a very common dream for me. It had taken me back to my teenage years, or childhood (time is not all that important in these dreams) and I was … Continue reading Interstellar: Escape From Earth
After the final season of Dexter, it’s kind of hard to remember how well received this show was at first. The main title sequence was pure brilliance. Set to Rolfe Kent’s disarmingly offbeat theme, it presented Dexter’s morning routines, but in such a clever way that simple acts of cracking eggs, grinding coffee beans, shaving … Continue reading Dexter: Brother, Friend, Serial Killer
THE SORT-OF-SEQUEL TO ‘KNOCKED UP’. As Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann) are both turning 40, their marriage is challenged by trouble with money, the hardships of raising two daughters and confusion regarding their future together. This sequel to Knocked Up (2007) uses some of that movie’s characters to mirror the joys and angst, … Continue reading This Is 40
THE DAY BEFORE. THE DAY OF. THE DAY AFTER. One of the most talked-about TV movies of its day attracted a huge audience and inspired a national debate on the pros and cons of nuclear deterrence. The story takes place right before, during and after a crisis where the U.S. and the Soviet Union launch … Continue reading The Day After
MAY THE BEST LOSER WIN. Four-term North Carolina Congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) usually stands unopposed, but this time he’s challenged by a Republican newcomer, the meek-looking Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis). The same year as Jay Roach chronicled Sarah Palin’s path to the GOP vice-presidential nomination in Game Change, he also poked fun at political … Continue reading The Campaign
MURDER HAS A SOUND ALL OF ITS OWN! Philadelphia sound effects technician Jack Terry (John Travolta) happens to witness (and record) a car accident… and realizes that someone with a gun must have caused it. Director Brian De Palma followed up his impressive Dressed to Kill (1980) with another thriller featuring seedy sex, well-staged murder scenes and a … Continue reading Blow Out
THE ONE NIGHT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Garry Marshall followed up his ensemble piece Valentine’s Day (2010) with a similar film, made to entertain young and old as we contemplate the (romantic?) possibilities of a new year. The cast is full of stars, but focus tends to lie on younger, popular talent. What everybody has in common though … Continue reading New Year’s Eve
EVOLUTION BECOMES REVOLUTION. In the near future, San Francisco scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) has invented a drug that is supposed to cure Alzheimer’s… but its most dramatic effect is on apes in experiments that leave them significantly smarter. This reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise shares ideas with Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), but … Continue reading Rise of the Planet of the Apes
