Hi-def versions of Wong Kar Wai film Ashes of Time Redux
Romance noir genius Wong Kar Wai goes back to his roots with Ashes of Time Redux, which follows a broken-hearted hit man who moves to the desert and finds skilled swordsmen to carry out his contract killings. The auteur is re-editing and re-shaping his only martial arts film into the form he says was his ….
Bowling for Columbine film review
Year: 2002 Why is America so violent? In Micheal Moore’s recent best selling book, "Stupid White Men," he raises this question to a pre-911 America and finds fault with the greedy, unscrupulous white men who run the government and corporate America. In his post 911 documentary he takes further aim at their children, in particular ….
Alien film review
The good news: Sigourney Weaver’s famous underwear shot, which probably launched millions of now middle-aged men straight into puberty and beyond, has survived Ridley Scott’s keen eye in his digitally remastered 2003 director’s cut of Alien. As for the bad news, well, there really isn’t any. Alien, first released in 1979 and in theaters right ….
The Animatrix film review
The ANIMATRIX is a series of animated short films, inspired by and linked to the MATRIX universe. They were created by some of the hottest Japanese animators working in the industry today. The following reviews are for each of the nine shorts. The Final Flight Of The Osiris The first short within the Animatrix disc ….
The Assassination of Richard Nixon film review
Year: 2004 A down-on-his-luck salesman formulates a plan to kill Richard Nixon by hijacking a plane and flying it into the White House. Sean Penn stars in this character drama inspired by a true-life incident. We all know that Nixon was not assassinated, but resigned in disgrace over Watergate. What many do not remember or ….
Attila film review
It’s been rumored in some history books that Attila the Hun died of an exploding blood clot while in the throes of sexual ecstasy – what a way to go, huh? Unfortunately, that’s a scene you won’t find in the USA Network’s made for television Attila, the latest attempt to cash in on the success ….
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me film review
James Bond is back – NOT! – as one vaguely remembered star of stage and screen might have said. Instead of Bond, it’s super-groovy spy Austin Powers (Mike Myers) making his triumphant return to the silver screen, the British secret agent frozen in the 60’s and thawed in the 90’s, where/when he returned to active ….
Bamboozled film review
Welcome to a piece of American history. In the old music hall, white comedians and song ‘n’ dance men would splash their faces in charcoal, maybe throw on a pair of white gloves, then go through the step-n-fetchin’ routine, the exotica and the buffoonery of perceived black culture. Jim Crow, Amos ‘n’ Andy, Mammy, L’il ….
Barbershop film review
It seems every black ensemble film these days yanks at the same old yarn of bringing back good values to the ‘hood – keep your nose clean, love thy neighbor, and treat your woman right. But Barbershop, swelling with the classic Horatio Alger-like “Pull your community up by the bootstraps” message, is populated by surprisingly ….
Barbershop 2: Back in Business film review
The first Barbershop was a pleasant surprise, an easygoing comedy that had its ear turned toward the community and its heart in the right place. The sequel doesn’t surprise us – we know what to expect by now – but that doesn’t make the visit any less pleasant. Because movies are filmed months in advance, ….
Beowulf and Grendel
Year: 2005 A 9th Century Anglo-Saxon poem brought to the big screen in 2006. In today’s MTV-dosed world, the subject matter might seem irrelevant. Which is really sad since friendship, loyalty and revenge are struggles we all face everyday. Sturla Gunnarsson’s Beowulf & Grendel is probably more relevant today than ever, and proves itself organically, ….
The Big Animal film review
DVD Release: 2000 The Big Animal is a charming and hilarious feat of Polish filmmaking. Director and co-star Jerzy Stuhr, has created a true gem, working from a script by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski (Three Colors Trilogy). I may be biased as an avid B&W fan, but it’s beautifully shot by cinematographer Pawel Edelman (an ….
Big Daddy film review
Having seen young Anakin Skywalker in all those commercials, I was curious to see how his pairing with Adam Sandler would pan out in this revisionist Star Wars called, strangely enough, Big Daddy. We are first introduced to a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sandler), who finds his life at a standstill, unable to progress to the ….
Blade 2 film review
The original Blade was a demonstration of frenzied visual effects, a technological vampire bloodbath with no meaning or direction. Although the series is still very physical, emphasizing battle sequences and special effects over story and characters, Blade II knows where the first film went awry and does not repeat those mistakes. Instead of creating a ….