ZERO DARK THIRTY starts, tellingly, with a dark screen and audio clips from 9/11. Air traffic control chatter, 911 calls, and the anguished, astonished voices of people who have no frame of reference for what is happening to and around them. In doing so, the film compels the viewer to relive that day not with… Read More »
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD OF HONEY
Films about the state of affairs in the former Yugoslavia made by the people who lived through the times before, during, and after the breakup of that country have what I have termed a savage whimsy to them. The blackest of humor permeates even the most horrific situations (Danis Tanovics NO MANS LAND comes to… Read More »
CONTRABAND
CONTRABAND is based on the award-winning Icelandic flick REYKJAVIC-ROTTERDAM, and it is directed by the star of that film, Baltasar Kormakur. The setting has been changed from the cold North Atlantic to the sultry climes of New Orleans and Panama. The lead is now played by Mark Wahlberg. Yet the reason for the remake is… Read More »
JOYFUL NOISE
JOYFUL NOISE has its heart in the right place. Unfortunately its like a neighbor with his or her heart in the right place, the one who responds to news of your car breaking down by volunteering to drive you somewhere and accidentally runs over your cat while backing out of the driveway. Not even Queen Latifah and… Read More »
HAYWIRE
Its interesting that the unsmiling, kick-ass heroine of HAYWIRE, Mallory, Mal for short, doesnt go directly to the one move uniquely efficient in taking down a male combatant. It speaks, no doubt, to her sense of honor and her belief in a fair fight. A belief that people challenge at their own risk to their… Read More »
RED TAILS
Howard Hughes, among others, understood the value of a good aerial dogfight 80 years ago or so. RED TAILS, inspired by the actual exploits of the first African-American flying squadron, is full of them and every one of them underscores why they are so appealing. They are well-choreographed, beautifully photographed, with excellent effects and the… Read More »
MAN ON A LEDGE
MAN ON A LEDGE is a not unworthy entry in the suspense/thriller subgenre dealing with an innocent man trying to prove his innocence. The innocent man is cop framed for a diamond theft. The ruse is to play bait-and-switch with the authorities who put him in prison. The execution is neither as lean nor as… Read More »
WOMAN IN BLACK, THE
Daniel Radcliffe, fresh from the preternatural success of the Harry Potter films, stays close to his cinematic roots with THE WOMAN IN BLACK. A smidgen too young for the role of widowered father of a four-year-old, at least for 21st-century sensibilities, he and the film use the tender vulnerability of both his years and his… Read More »
BIG MIRACLE
In what should become a textbook example of how to run a productive meeting, a group of people with nothing in common, except wanting to save a family of three whales trapped beneath arctic ice, bicker over motives. Each is passionate about his or her agenda and all of them are accomplishing nothing until one… Read More »
THIS MEANS WAR
THIS MEANS WAR is a frothy romp of a popcorn flick brightened by witty writing and a cast that get laughs by expertly playing it straight with a plausibly implausible plot. That would be how a product-tester inadvertently comes between two top-flight CIA agents who are also best friends. Yes, its ridiculous. Its also designed… Read More »
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