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The Matrix Reloaded film review

In 1999, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) uttered memorably, "Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is." In 2003, no one needs to be told, because everyone fully knows what the Matrix is. The idea of the Matrix has entered the popular lexicon. Magazines, with utter seriousness, create polls asking whether readers think we are ….

The Matrix film review

What many people forget when comparing The Matrix to its own sequels (or the Star Wars prequels, or any other maligned sci-fi epic) is that this 1999 original has bad dialogue too. In fact, search the entire trilogy for a line more cringe-inducing than “Buckle up, Dorothy, ‘cause Kansas is going bye-bye,” spoken by poor, ….

I Heart Huckabees film review

In David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabees, everyone talks a little bit like they’re in a play – the dialogue is unusually dense and abstract for a film, even an artsy one, even an “existential comedy,” as this one purports to be. Huckabees is like a screwball comedy filtered through a student thesis project, but ….

Independence Day film review

Year: 1996 Independence Day marks the glorious realization of what, for me, has been a nearly 25 year wait. Countless prayers have gone unanswered, but on this day, I have finally witnessed on screen what I have only dreamt of all my life, for this film features the complete and total destruction of the city ….

In Time film review

(Reviewed as part of the Short Film Competition at Sundance 2005) In Time is a short film about a modern day African family living in the U.S. It’s based around a mother and her two daughters. One of the daughters is engaged to be married to a young man from their native country. The mother, ….

The Ipcress File film review

Harry Palmer (Michael Caine), disgraced army sergeant and reluctant spy, heads off on his most renowned adventure in The Ipcress File, wherein a bunch of scientists are kidnapped, then summarily returned – brainwashed. Harry fights the baddies and his own internal bureaucracy as he gets to the bottom of the matter, ignoring authority and cooking ….

Jaws film review

"You’re gonna need a bigger boat." It was the beast that launched a thousand monster movies. It was the film that sparked Spielberg’s fame. The low strings on the soundtrack still strike terror in the hearts of millions. It has some of the most memorable lines of dialogue in the history of the movies. It’s ….

Jeepers Creepers film review

What’s with Hollywood and road trips? Lately it seems like everything evolves from adventures while traveling across highways and small towns. To the credit of the filmmakers who think of these common ideas, most of the time, at least for the time being, these ideas work well. This year alone, we have seen plenty of ….

Keane film review

This intense little item from independent cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan (Clean, Shaven; Claire Dolan) is an exercise in grit. For 90 minutes, this intense character study literally follows around a mourning father, William Keane (Damian Lewis), who tortures himself by wandering around New York City’s Port Authority bus terminal and the bleakest neighborhoods of New Jersey ….

Kill Bill: Volume 1 film review

Sean O’Connell: "writes itself into the Hollywood history books" Quentin Tarantino’s fourth film, Kill Bill, reminds us why we, as a collective moviegoing society, wish he’d work more often than he does. The acclaimed director rocketed to cult stardom with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, cranked out an overlong homage to film noir in Jackie ….

The Grudge film review

Sarah Michelle Gellar and the supernatural go together like peas and carrots, to borrow a phrase from our friend Forrest Gump. The starlet’s signature role had her slaying vampires as Buffy Summers. We all know what Gellar Did Last Summer, but did you recall she also enjoyed a bit part in Wes Craven’s Scream 2 ….

Kill Bill: Volume 2 film review

Editor’s Note: Last year Sean O’Connell and Jeremiah Kipp went at it — Tarantino style — over the merits of Kill Bill: Volume 1. The results were classic: O’Connell loved it, Kipp despised it. With the second installment of the highly-anticipated flick, the tables are turned. Now O’Connell’s got his blade sharpened, and while Kipp ….

Haiku Tunnel film review

Josh Kornbluth is a funny guy. He has a nervous, jittery way about him, delivering his views on the world with gusto, while giving off a unique combination of being both obsessed and lazy. He looks odd, a pudgy schlump with glasses, a balding head, long messy hair on the sides and back, and an ….

Halloween film review

Considered by many to be a modern horror classic, Halloween succeeds through simplicity. This thriller a veritable kickoff for 25plus years of slasher films works because director John Carpenter keeps the story neat and the presentation basic. It’s an approach that gives Halloween an easy, nofrills realism, and a likable indie style that shines through ….

Hannibal film review

10 years ago to this day, Hannibal Lecter burned himself into our memory, our catchphrases, and our popular culture, and now, he sits at the head of the table once again, packing movie theatres, dominating dinner conversations, and prompting people to try fava beans. With the release of Hannibal, one of the most anticipated films ….