Europa Report (2013)

Well, that WAS impressive. Again, a lack of forewarning, foreshadowing, fore…something or another, served me well. The first and really only things that I had heard, in advance, was that this low-budget ‘found footage’ story of a doomed mission to one of Jupiter’s moons (guess which one) was a curious sideproject for South African actor […]

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

This sequel to the 2011 ‘surprise hit’ original is a good follow-up, but suffers from not being anywhere near as concise as it could’ve/should’ve been. It seems to me that director Alan Taylor, on his first foray into movies after a lengthy and distinguished career directing for companies like HBO, is more comfortable helming portions […]

Ender’s Game (2013)

Interesting. I don’t think that I’ve ever had it happen where I’m about equally ‘Meh’ about a film adaptation as I am about the original source material. For a good chunk of time, I’d heard about Bigoted Asshole Orson Scott Card’s ‘epic’ sci-fi book series, with the first novel ‘Ender’s Game’ being hailed as some […]

The Counselor (2013)

Amazing. (Shakes head slowly…and sadly). Fellow Cinephiles! The Day has come! The Day in which I must acknowledge that one of my absolutely favorite directors, Sir Ridley Scott, has FINALLY shat out a legitimately BAD movie. Up until this point, G.I.Jane (1997) was easily Scott’s worst flick (in my humble opinion), but this one has […]

The Fury (1978)

I’m an admiring fan of Brian DePalma, and have seen many of his flicks. THE GREAT: ‘Carrie’ (1976), ‘The Untouchables’ (1987), ‘Carlito’s Way’ (1993), THE GOOD: ‘Mission Impossible (1996), ‘Snake Eyes’ (1998). THE NOT SO GOOD: ‘Mission to Mars’ (2000),’The Black Dahlia’ (2006), among others. Somewhere along the way, this particular flick never registered with […]

Captain Phillips (2013)

I can’t help but to think that Tom Hanks has easily proven himself now as one of the most diverse and interesting actors around. This ‘based on a true story’ drama is just another ‘notch in the belt’; further evidence of his skill and conviction to bringing his characters to effective life. He’s terrific here, […]

This is The End (2013)

Damn…even as I write this…I’m still chuckling. This celebrity-stoner fever dream is hilarious, pretty much from beginning to end. At least…I think so. Co-written and co-directed by Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express), this is one of the slickest ‘comedy sketch-blown-to-movie size’ flicks I’ve ever seen. One of the key assets of this gory comedy is the […]

Gravity (2013)

Right out of the gate, it must be said that ‘Gravity’ is a stunningly beautiful film. Director Alphonso Cuaron (Children of Men) proves once again that he is essentially Michael Bay’s intellectual nemesis, seeing as how they occupy opposite ends of the ‘film-making talent’ spectrum (HACK———-VISIONARY). Cuaron has gained a notable reputation as a very […]

Cypher (2002)

Now this is a strange little sci-fi flick. ‘Cypher’ is a cyberpunk-flavored story that borrows much of it’s style and substance from films like Brazil (1985) Total Recall (1990), The Game (1997), and Fight Club (1999), with noticeable elements paying tribute to (or ripping off, depending how you look at it) the work of directors […]

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (2010)

I thought that I’d heard of pretty much every film that French director/producer Luc Besson had directed…and had seen the VAST majority of them. Notable stand-outs in his filmography include The Big Blue (1988), La Femme Nikita (1991), Leon The Professional (1994) and The Fifth Element (1997). Last I had heard, Besson was elbow-deep in […]