When Cliff Secord finds a rocketpack in the passenger seat of his stunt plane, it should be an opportunity for the type of high-flying action perfect for a big-budget summer movie. Instead “The Rocketeer” becomes an exercise in monotony. And Insomniac Movie Theater’s first cure for insomnia.
There have been worse entries, sure, but movies like “Barbarella” or “Battlefield Earth” are at least watchable in their horribleness. “The Rocketeer” is a beige movie. Unremarkable, unmemorable, and bland.
I’m not sure exactly why “The American” is opening on a Wednesday.
Besides the fact that it has George Clooney in it, its about as far as you can get from a big summer blockbuster type film.
Directed by Anton Corbijn, it’s slow, deliberate pacing may throw some people off at first. What it actually does is create a tense and effective mood for this stylish, adult thriller.
Read my review of “The American” right here.
This weekend, A-lister extraordinaire George Clooney continues his 12-year streak of picking movies that are a little left of center with “The American,” a slow-moving drama that’s kind of a throwback to 70s art-house fare.
It wasn’t always that way for the man who personifies modern Hollywood, as early roles in “Batman and Robin” and “One Fine Day” prove, but Clooney remains one of the most eminently watchable leading men around.
Here’s a look the Top 10 George Clooney Movies.
Based on Elizabeth Wurtzel‘s 1994 memoir about suffering major depression, “Prozac Nation” was made in 2001, and premiered at Toronto that very same year, with the rights being purchased by Miramax.
But it wasn’t until 2005 that “Prozac Nation” saw a U.S. release, and even then, it was on cable station Starz.
Contributor Vincent Scarpa gives the embattled Christina Ricci film another look as today’s Overlooked Movie.
Read his defense of “Prozac Nation” here.
Trey Hock has thrown down the gauntlet. He’s 22 movies into the AFI Top 100 American movies list (100 Years, 100 Movies), and he’s already made a bold proclamation.
I love the fact that after seeing only two silent films, Trey is already enough of a fan of the period that he has the balls to say this:
“From this moment forward you’ll have no more excuses about why you can’t watch silent films. “Modern Times” is the movie that will make them accessible. This film is so entirely fun and watchable that it will change your mind about silent film.”
Read about and watch clips from 1 Year, 100 Movies #78 Modern Times (1936).
Here’s Eric’s on-camera review of Robert Duvall and Bill Murray‘s “Get Low.” from ABC KTKA-49. His more in-depth print review of “Get Low” is right here.
Trevan McGee is back with his personal take on another movie that is best watched … ahem … late at night. He writes:
“Barbarella: Queen of The Galaxy,” is a 1968 Sci-Fi campfest that stars the lovely Jane Fonda and is directed by then-husband Roger Vadim.
Like “Tarzan, The Ape Man,” “Barbarella” features a beautiful young lead, instantly hammy performances by ever actor on set, and a nonsensical plot that exists solely to move Fonda from one nude, or in most cases, semi-nude scene to another.
Full disclosure: I was 4 years old the first time I saw this movie, which means that Jane Fonda was the first nude woman I saw once I was old enough to make and preserve memories.”
Read more here: Insomniac Movie Theater: Barbarella: Queen of The Galaxy
What list, you may ask? Why, AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Movies list of course: the newest list of the 100 best American movies according to the American Film Institute!
This list plagues contributor Trey Hock as he stays awake late at night, dreaming about the next movie coming in the mail, wondering how long he’ll be able to keep up the relentless pace of two films a week. His column is called 1 Year, 100 Movies and he’s known about this next one since he looked at the list during that first, cursory glance.
Eventually, he would come face to face with Sam Peckinpah‘s epic Western “The Wild Bunch.” Today, he does that. But he does more. So much more. Watch clips from “The Wild Bunch” and read Trey’s take on it here.
With The Great Songs series, my aim is simple: To offer up a different set of tunes as classic canon.
Sometimes, the listmania that I suffer from is capitalized on by big mainstream outlets–everyone from Rolling Stone and Spin to VH1 and any number of cool British mags.
Critical consensus is a dangerous thing, so while you may see a couple songs on this list that pop up on other mainstream lists of important and classic rock tunes, most of theses choices will not be there.
Guided by Voices is a band that fits perfectly into the idea of The Great Songs. Every now and then a song comes around that is so perfect; so stunningly different in its simplicity that it makes you feel energized about the possibilities of rock music all over again. “Motor Away” is one of those songs.
It started with a recent screening of “Toy Story 3.” It made loyal NYC reader and often-time contributor Sean O’Connell think about trains in movies. Which, in turn, made him think about the train scene with Rebecca De Mornay in “Risky Business” and how it helped get him through his pre-teen years.
Our very own Alan Rapp, in a comment thread on this very site, proposed this theory about trains (still in the experimental stage, needing refinement, but, in a nutshell) : “All things being equal, movies with trains are better than movies without trains.” Hmmm.
So now Sean has come up with this interesting Top 10 list about the Best Trains in Movie History. Will it prove Alan’s theory? How many Rebecca De Mornay films will be on it? Check it out here and find out: Top 10 Trains in Movie History
