I love this movie. That being said, that’s not the same as it being a very good movie–because it isn’t. Not necessarily. It’s fascinating to watch though because the production was such a tumultuous one you can often see what the director intended to do, which is always interesting. And the warp effect is probably […]
“”Vengeance Shall Be Hers” But Frustration Will Be Yours.”
Some people might call William Girdler’s The Manitou a ripoff of The Exorcist, and in a sense they’d be right in that both involve possession of a sort. Then’s there’s the fact that Girdler’s film came five years afterwards, though other than that it’s a whole other animal and deserves revisiting. The movie, based on the novel […]
The Purge: Anarchy Is A Marked Improvement Over The Original, But There Is So Much Farther That It Could Have Gone What bothered me most about James DeMonaco‘s 2013 movie The Purge was that after introducing viewers to a United States that had brought record reductions in crime though a once-a-year catharsis known as the Purge […]
Tim Story is a prolific multihyphenate producer-director, who in the 12 years between 2002 to 2014, produced one feature and directed 10. In 2011 he began a partnership with Kevin Hart, directing the standup specials Laugh At My Pain, followed by Let Me Explain (with Leslie Small) in 2013. Between those two films he directed Think Like A Man, with […]
I went into the first ‘Purge’ expecting a subversive commentary on American mores, coupled with an ample helping of cathartic violence. Instead what I got was little more than a home invasion thriller, with barely a pinch of anything wholesome or nutritious. And while I can’t necessarily judge the upcoming sequel by the teaser trailer, […]
“Paul Feig’s “The Heat” is often amusing, though it doesn’t work as a buddy movie because Sandra Bullock’s character is so bland that Melissa McCarthy has to do all the heavy lifting.” Part of me was wondering if the reason I didn’t enjoy “The Heat” as nearly as much as I would have liked to – there […]
Walter Hill’s “The Warriors” has always been a favorite film of mine. It manages to hold up pretty well, despite being made in 1979. Part of what makes it so durable is that the story is essentially a simple one, which is a gang from Coney Island comes to Manhattan for a big meeting, attended […]
“Streets of Fire,” “48 Hrs.,” “Another 48 Hrs.,” “Last Man Standing,” “Supernova” (which he disowned because of creative differences between him and the studio that released the film) are among the films directed by the uber-talented Walter Hill. If that were the only role he played in Hollywood, there would be enough material for a […]
I recently saw the trailer for “The Guard” via Apple, and it looks like fun. I tend to be drawn to movies that involve culture-clashes (as long as everyone is treated in a dignified fashion) and this one looks like a doozy. One can imagine that Don Cheadle’s FBI character will find himself repelled by […]
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