If you think about it, fairy tales have always been pretty brutal. There’s Hansel and Gretel—two abandoned children who are kidnapped by an old woman who plans to devour them. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother are both eaten by a wolf, and are miraculously rescued only after a woodcutter slices open the wolf’s […]
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This past Tuesday morning the Oscar nominations for movies released in 2006 were announced. Just one week after the triumphant “Dreamgirls” win for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes, it seemed that the Broadway-adapted musical was a shoo-in for a Best Picture nod. As Borat would say, “Not so much!” I […]
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What is cool? Thirteen years ago, it was Quentin Tarantino’s self-conscious black comedy “Pulp Fiction.” Four years later, Guy Ritchie pumped up the body count and number of quirky hitmen in the adrenalized “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.” I may not be the all-knowing arbiter of what is cool and what’s not, but I […]
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A famous U.S. war propaganda film from 1945 depicted Japanese soldiers as a relentless mass of people with identical faces and a singular purpose. Called “Know Your Enemy- Japan,” it was directed by Frank Capra (“It’s A Wonderful Life”) and was withdrawn quickly when the fighting in the Pacific ceased. This opinion of the Japanese […]
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OK. We all know awards shows are inherently stupid. Giving movie stars awards for doing their jobs really well is just silly. They are so huge now that they have become a part of the business. They get people to pay attention to movies that offer something more than a slight distraction while you’re eating […]
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In 2003, Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines made a now-famous offhand comment about President Bush at a London concert. “We’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” Coming just as the U.S. military was gearing up to attack Iraq, it was real bad timing. The country music lovers back home who […]
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A rare blend of serious science fiction and pulse-pounding action, director Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men is the best film of the year. Despite a gloomy apocalyptic setting (that serves as a cautionary warning for us all today), it remains a movie about hope against all odds. The kicker is that this catastrophic future is […]
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* These lists were made at the close of 2006, and since Eric saw “Pan’s Labyrinth” in January of 2007, it didn’t make the list. Technically, it was rated as high as “Children of Men” and “Borat,“ so it should be #3!!! Eric’s List Children of Men : Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi drama has in spades […]
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“Dreamgirls,” based on the 1981 hit Broadway play, has been hyped all year as a frontrunner for Best Picture, and now that it has finally arrived, it turns out to be as phony as Pat Boone covering a Little Richard tune. It is big and showy and loud, but director Bill Condon’s attempts to make […]
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There are men who do the killing and then there are the men with the real power—the ones who order the kill. As far as espionage movies go, Robert DeNiro’s sophomore directorial effort “The Good Shepherd” probably gets closer to what it is really like in the shadowy business of state secrets than many other […]
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Mel Gibson has served up a heaping helping of turkey dressing with his Christmas ode to the ancient Mayans, “Apocalypto.” Eric and J.D. just try to keep up with the madness in their loony review, featuring Scene-Sealers’ first foray into special effects! Click on the photo for the Windows Media version of this on-camera review.
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The term “auteur” is applied to those directors whose personal stamp is recognizable over their body of work. Similar subjects, stylistic choices and thematic elements can be found in the films of an auteur. Congratulations, Mel Gibson, you are now an auteur. Starring in “The Road Warrior” and all those “Lethal Weapon” movies obviously taught […]
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“Blood Diamond” is an issue movie dressed up like a bloody action film. Or is it vice versa? In the tradition of director Edward Zwick’s other social statement films “Glory” and “The Last Samurai,” this one also revolves around a privileged group of people taking advantage of a less fortunate group. In this case, it […]
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Preteen Christian warriors wearing camouflage make-up and dressed in combat fatigues brandish swords in a bizarre choreographed dance. A 10-year old girl weeps in a trance-like spiritual bliss, looking up to the sky. A 12-year old boy speaks in tongues. Children touch a cardboard effigy of President Bush while a massive church prays to guide […]
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..featuring clips! Eric and J.D. talk mockumentaries, faux-hawks, the likelihood of Catherine O’Hara getting a real Oscar nomination, and Ricky Gervais’ addition to Christopher Guest’s ensemble comedy “For Your Consideration” in their review of the director’s latest. Click on the photo for the Windows Media version of this on-camera review.
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