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The Grandmaster is a delicate and deliberate work of art
Wong Kar-Wai is one of China’s most celebrated and respected directors because his aesthetic eye is unmatched, much like his the title of his latest film, The Grandmaster starring Tony Leung as Ip...
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Upside Down stays in the middle
I loved the premise of the sci-fi film, Upside Down from writer/director Juan Diego Solanas, but the film gets stuck in a middle ground because it does not have an identifiable antagonist for the hero...
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Breaking Away does nothing for me
Obviously, life was much different in 1979 when Breaking Away was filmed because I was shocked to learn it won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture. Even...
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These Amazing Shadows: The Movies that Make America
These Amazing Shadows is a straight forward documentary that demonstrates the importance of the National Film Registry and its impact on film preservation. There were several enlightening interviews...
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THE MAN OF TAI CHI is stopped by Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves does many things right in his directorial debut. He hires Woo-ping Yuen as his Action Director and he casts Tiger Hu Chen as the lead character, as well as using martial art legend Yu Hai...
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DRUG WAR cooks up something new
America is no stranger to films about crystal meth and the dark characters that are associated with the narcotic, however, in mainland China director Johnnie To breaks new ground by cooking up an...
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47 RONIN are turning over in their graves
The film’s director, Carl Erik Rinsch is probably kneeling before a room of executives at Universal and offering to perform seppuku for the dismal 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves. Everyone knew the...
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OLD BOY (2013) has some new tricks
Spike Lee’s desire to re-interpret the critically acclaimed 2003 South Korean film, Old Boy for domestic audiences was a bold move because of the amount of criticism he would receive from audiences...
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THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE heats things up
I have not read the books, but everyone tells me the first film was water down when it came to the politics. As for the second film, the same people told me the second installment was closer to the...
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LOVELACE doesn’t go deep enough
The life of Linda Boreman is dramatized in the biographical film, Lovelace starring Amanda Seyfried in the title role. Her performance along with Peter Sarsgaard as her abusive husband, Chuck Traynor...
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HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters was a disappointing interpretation of the Grimm fairytale to say the least. The mixture of humor and horror could not match the coolness factor of Hansel (Jeremy...
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THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG does not live up to its title
Many people exclaim the second installment is much better than the first film, but I do not think that justifies a favorable review for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I do not know whose greed...
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THOR: THE DARK WORLD hammers out an unsatisfactory ending
The sequel, Thor: The Dark World finds the title character tackling the all-to-common villain that wants to destroy the entire universe for some illogical reason that is never fully explained and...
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PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS
Audiences do not have to be too familiar with Greek mythology to keep up with Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. The film follows the title character and his friends on another quest to save Olympus from...
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LEE DANIEL’S THE BUTLER serves a up sentimental story
The most striking aspect of Lee Daniel’s The Butler is Forest Whitaker’s (Cecil Gaines) in the title role. It was a beautiful performance about a man, a father, and a husband attempting to provide for...
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I, Frankenstein is going to leave a scar
It’s alive! Well, it is happy to be breathing at this point because the newest interpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic character has many noticeable imperfections that are going to leave a scar. At...
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THE WRATH OF VAJRA
The Wrath of Vajra is…different. Anti-Japanese films are nothing new from the Chinese, but this film is about a rogue WWII martial art master that began a cult of warriors that worshiped the God,...
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