Shutter Island definitely begs a second viewing, and while it might not rank up there with earlier Scorsese classics, it remains a masterpiece in my eyes, and a production that has set the new standard for all future psychological thrillers.
Shutter Island
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Before seeing Shutter Island, all I knew about the plot was [...]
When comparing these critical scenes to their counterparts in such classics as An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, they are simply not in the same league.
The Wolfman
Directed by Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston walks into a bar and says: “Bartender, I’ve directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo. I think that [...]
bills itself as a low-budget film bent on entertaining audiences…
Daybreakers
Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig
Over the years several pairs of brothers have directed high-grossing, successful Hollywood films. Notable duos include the Cohen’s, the Wachowski’s, the Hughes’ and the Farrelly’s. However, the Spierig brothers from Australia will never, ever be on that list.
They are responsible [...]
Review of Amreeka
Directed by Cherien Dabis
There is an obvious correlation between the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the rise in Islamaphobia across the United States. Arabs (or anyone Arab-looking) who had already established their lives in the States before that year suddenly found themselves the target of racial prejudice, and those who would [...]
Directed by Spike Jonze
As I left the cinema Friday night still reeling from my experience, I realized that the perfect barometer for Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are was the 4-year old girl walking with her mom in front of me. Throughout the film I could hear her alternating between laughing, crying and screaming. [...]
As a huge fan of Natural Born Killers and White Men Can’t Jump, I used to look forward to every Woody Harrelson movie. For awhile we were spoiled with excellent performances but in the past decade, I’ve been thoroughly disappointed with almost every role WH has signed up for. Well, believe it or not, you [...]
BRONSON (cue “Digital Versicolor” by Glass Candy)
While non-Americans win very few of the top acting awards at the Oscars, we see it happen from time to time (Daniel Day-Lewis, Roberto Benigni, etc). As a result, I’d love to see Tom Hardy, the English actor who brilliantly portrays Michael Gordon Pederson in [...]
Lars Von Trier is never one to shy away from controversy. In 1998, Zentropa was the first mainstream film company to produce hardcore pornography. Guess who it belongs to? Despite that highly interesting fact, that’s the closest you’ll ever see Von Trier’s name associated with the word “mainstream,” because nothing [...]
District 9
Directed by Niel Blomkamp
South Africa has been to hell and back during the past century. Famine, corruption, AIDS and the apartheid era have seriously hindered the country’s chances of becoming a serious player within the African continent. A few years ago, local director Neill Blomkamp produced a short film entitled Alive in Joburg, a [...]
The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
In the past decade or so, many (bad) war movies have permeated our screens, most of them taking place in the Middle East. A prolonged war in Iraq, coupled with the unceasing animosity that exists between Palestine and Israel, has attracted many Hollywood directors. They have been using the volatility [...]
Inglourious Basterds
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Normally I approach a new Tarantino film with caution because more often than not, due to his fame and talent, his movies are severely hyped in the months leading up to their release; they are promoted with so much zeal and accompanied by so many industry buzz-words that I usually end [...]
Friday July 10th marked the North American premiere of Thirst at Fantasia, Park Chan-Wook’s latest effort. Mostly known for his Vengeance Trilogy, Park has created a movie that is even more stylistically polished than his previous films, if you can believe that.
Thirst is immaculately shot and cleverly punctuated with scenes that would easily offend the [...]
Myles of Footage
I had a dream once where I was being chased by a monster down a long, narrow hallway. It felt like I was stuck in quicksand because I couldn’t quite get my legs moving fast enough to escape the monster’s claws. Right before watching Polanski’s Repulsion I shared that dream with a friend [...]
It is by complete surprise that I ended up with a copy of this movie. There I was, walking the aisles of my virtual movie store, looking for ‘The Empire of the Wolves’ when my clumsy fingers stumbled and clicked on Neil Jordan’s (The Crying Game, In Dreams, Breakfast on Pluto) film instead.
The result? Pure [...]
It’s very hard to categorize a film like Baraka. Because of its particular characteristics – a complete lack of a verbal component, a non-linear ‘plot’ and a broadened coverage of our planet – it doesn’t fit it with any existing genre. With that being said, I wouldn’t want to have to put a label on [...]
