The Raid 2 (2014) Immediately after the events of The Raid (2011), Rama reluctantly agrees to join an undercover task force. To earn the trust of Bangun, a local crime lord, he goes undercover in prison to befriend his son, Uco, and takes a position with Bangun’s organization after his release. When a slighted Uco… Continue reading Elmo holds a grudge
Month: July 2014
Like alpha papa, like son
Collateral (2004) Vincent (Tom Cruise) offers Los Angeles cab driver Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) $600 to drive him around for the entire night, but soon, Max realizes Vincent is an assassin and is using him to shuttle between his five targets for the evening. For the rest of the movie, Vincent attempts to complete his… Continue reading Like alpha papa, like son
Lucky Mary took a machine with her to the sun
Mary Poppins (1964) Julie Andrews won an Oscar, and she’s been nominated two other times, but since the mid 1980s, her films have been almost exclusively children’s fare like the Shrek series and The Princess Diaries (2001). I wish she hadn’t been typecast in wholesome, family films because in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), S.O.B. (1981), and Victor / Victoria… Continue reading Lucky Mary took a machine with her to the sun
Get off my little plane
My Little Chickadee (1940) The thin plot about a masked coach-robbing bandit is merely an excuse to bring two aging vaudeville stars, W.C. Fields and Mae West, together for the first time on the big screen. I like the idea of W.C. Fields; a witty misanthrope who says what everyone else is too polite to… Continue reading Get off my little plane
The lone force of evil
Lone Survivor (2013) We’ve seen this before: young, fun-loving soldiers clash with their superiors before they’re assigned a dangerous mission. The mission will go well until an unexpected snafu puts them in danger, killing most of them. One of them will wax poetically about their families. One of them will make a heroic sacrifice. If the… Continue reading The lone force of evil
Camille’s secret life
Camille (1936) Marguerite Gautier (Greta Garbo) uses her femininity to rise from humble beginnings to a preeminent position in French society as Dame Camille, but complications arise when she falls in love with Armand (Robert Taylor). Armand’s father (Lionel Barrymore) convinces Camille her sordid past will ruin his future, so she leaves him. A heartbroken… Continue reading Camille’s secret life
Saving Spider-Man from drowning
Waterworld (1995) In a world covered in water after global warming melts the polar ice caps, a mysterious Mariner (Kevin Costner) becomes a reluctant protector of Enola and her guardian Helen when Enola is hunted by The Smokers whose leader, Deacon (Dennis Hopper), believes she possesses a map to the mythical Dryland tattooed on her… Continue reading Saving Spider-Man from drowning
This summer: The next Karate Kid in the battle of the year!
The Next Karate Kid (1994) If the Karate Kid, Part III was an unnecessary coda, this film is an even more egregious sin: a reboot no one asked for. Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) travels to Boston and finds himself once again mentoring a troubled youth: the granddaughter of one of his old war buddies, Julie… Continue reading This summer: The next Karate Kid in the battle of the year!
The Karate Kid voyages to a field in England
A Field in England (2013) Set during the English Civil War, this beautiful black and white film features alchemists, hidden treasure, and betrayal. Characters die only to inexplicably reappear. There’s cowardice, jealousy, and greed. It does a great job of conveying the chaos of the Renaissance. Facts are fluid; rumors are currency; allegiances are tenuous.… Continue reading The Karate Kid voyages to a field in England
After the shooting
After Tiller (2013) In 2009, pro-life activist Scott Roeder assassinated abortionist George Tiller, one of the only doctors in the United States who performed late-term abortions. This documentary follows the four doctors who continue to perform these controversial procedures following his murder, providing insight into the mindset of people willing to do something almost everyone in… Continue reading After the shooting