The ancient Greeks preached moderation in all things, and while GODS OF EGYPT is set in that ancient land, not the Peloponnese, I was put in mind of that advice. This is a film of craven excess in all things except what would have helped most: a good script. For two hours or so, we… Read More »
SONG OF THE SEA is Beautiful Harmony
SONG OF THE SEA reminds us of the power of simplicity in storytelling and in animation. Hand-drawn and steeped in Irish folklore, it is a profoundly moving experience rife with charm, wisdom, and beauty. Told from a child’s perspective, the magical and the mundane coalesce in perfect harmony, revealing the one in the other in… Read More »
JUPITER ASCENDING. Not.
The Wachowskis know how to produce a spectacle. In that, they may very well be the cinematic heirs of Cecil B. DeMille, whose films featured showmanship of the highest caliber, but some of whose films could charitably be described as insubstantial. And such is the case with the space saga, JUPITER ASCENDING, a film chock-a-block… Read More »
SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS
Dreamworks has taken a novel approach to their latest animated film, SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS. The studio has done an homage not just to adventure films from the 1950s, but more specifically, to the B adventure films from that era. Not that that’s a bad thing, they were fun in a kitschy way,… Read More »
CHAC: THE RAIN GOD
Long unavailable to its legion of fans, CHAC THE RAIN GOD, made by Rolando Klein and released 1975, has been issued in a superb DVD edition by Milestone. It’s about time. This tale of pilgrimage, ritual and sacrifice in a Maya village in the Mexican wilderness has a magic and a wonder that few films achieve. The story… Read More »
Alexandre O. Philippe Makes the Case for THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS
Is George Lucas more than just a filmmaker with a franchise worth billions? Is he also that franchise’s #1 Fanboy? It’s one of many intriguing questions in Alexandre Philippe’s documentary about the relationship the fans have with the creator of the Star Wars universe. While Philippe demurred about the exact number of Star Wars action… Read More »
Andre Ovredal Exposes the TROLLHUNTER
Andre Ovredal waited over a decade before embarking on his second adventure in feature filmmaking. He used the time to hone his skills as a successful commercial filmmaker in his native Norway, a country whose folklore gifted him with the premise of TROLLHUNTER. A man with a quick wit, and a killer smile, he talked… Read More »
Pat Solomon is FINDING JOE
Pat Solomon usually spends his professional life making commercials. In 2009, though, he took it upon himself to introduce a new generation of viewers to the work of Joseph Campbell, in particular his ground-breaking book, “The Hero with A Thousand Faces”. The result is a lively film that puts yet another face on the Hero… Read More »