The Monuments Men (2014)

The true story of ‘The Monuments Men’ is a remarkable and often overlooked slice of WW2/art history. The newly released ‘Based on a True Story’ film, sadly, falls under the ‘UNremarkable’ banner. My reaction to this film surprised me, as there were so many factors that fall into categories that I like, admire and respect. […]

Sorcerer (1977)

Over the recent Christmas Break, I was laid up with some nefarious ailment, and took the opportunity to rewatch ‘The Exorcist’ (1973). I wound up doing a comparison review about it and the abysmal insult of a sequel…but that’s a different story (See THAT review here: https://thekneejerkreaction.com/2013/12/31/the-exorcist-1973-vs-the-exorcist-ii-the-heretic-1977-an-examination/). But in embarking upon THAT lil experiment, I found […]

Lone Survivor (2013)

So, despite never having had the inclination to join the Canadian Armed Forces, I must admit to having something of a weird military fetish. I get a kick out of researching the histories, the equipment, the vehicles and the missions that various branches of various militaries have used over the last 100 or so years. […]

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Truth be told, the idea of this film didn’t exactly blow my skirt up when I got wind of it being the next, umpteenth collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorcese. Generally anything focusing on the inner workings of the stock market is a tranquilizer to me, I just don’t care about it. Both Scorcese […]

‘The Exorcist’ (1973) vs ‘The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977): AN EXAMINATION

“What an excellent day for an exorcism.” -The demon Pazuzu So. let me paint the scene: It’s a quiet Christmas Eve. I’m stuck at home due to work and my first bout of genuine seasonal illness in nearly 10 years. I’m borderline ‘stir crazy’ from being couch-bound for seemingly days, and am not in the […]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

The Middle Earth adventures of ‘Bilbo’ and The Dwarves continue in this next installment of The Hobbit Trilogy. After an unexpected (and interesting) flashback for an ‘Opening Scene’ (keep your eyes peeled for an amusing and familiar ‘wink wink’ cameo from director Peter Jackson), the action picks up right where ‘An Unexpected Journey’ left off, […]

The Last Days on Mars (2013)

This modestly budgeted (around $12 milion) sci-fi thriller wears it’s inspirations and influences clearly on it’s space-suit sleeve. Film aficionado’s (aka Geeks) will readily pick up on the nods to, and ideas from, such seminal science fiction classics like Alien (1979), The Thing (1982), Aliens (1986) and ‘Sunshine’ (2007). ‘Aliens’, especially, stood out as a […]

The Purge (2013)

Ethan Hawke is one of those actors that I don’t actively consider when I think ‘movies’, but whenever he turns up, going back to his unsuccessful sci-fi debut in ‘Explorers’ (1985), I like what he’s putting out. Lately, Hawke has become something of a growing fixture in the ‘genre’ market, with flicks like ‘Daybreakers’ (2009) […]

Boardwalk Empire (2013)

Boardwalk Empire Season 4, Episode 12: ‘Farewell Daddy Blues’ was a powerful and well-constructed season ‘closer’, with the near-operatic death of one particular character actually making me pause to see if that was ACTUALLY a feeling of ‘choked up’ that I was maybe kinda sorta feeling (it was). HBO knows their shit and I highly […]

Dead Bang (1989)

Ok, Dear Reader…it’s Confession Time. For the last little while, I’ve been maybe, kinda, sorta a lil bit addicted to ‘Miami Vice’. That’s right…’Miami Vice’, the vapid, cheese-smothered yet strangely ground-breaking TV series that ran from ’84-’90, and pretty much defined the mid-late 80s. As a kid, my folks, terrific people that they are, did […]