Michael Moore has an agenda. Let me say that right off the bat. There is no such thing as completely objective reporting, everyone has an angle, a point of view and Moore certainly has an agenda with every film he’s ever made. Like him or hate him, what he is doing is expressing HIS views of the situation. With that in mind,SiCKO is probably his least controversial film to date. Is there any controversy, of course, this IS Michael Moore, but instead of creating a personal attack-filled one-sided argument like he did in Fahrenheit 9/11 or a meandering, directionless search for answers like Bowling for Columbine, he gets back to his Roger & Me roots and goes after answers with a laser-like accuracy. Continue reading “Review: SiCKO”
Month: June 2007
Review: Ocean’s Thirteen
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… George Clooney is the Dean Martin of this generation. He defines cool – women want to go to bed with him, guys want to play poker with him. And neither side cares about the other. This is why he’s the perfect Danny Ocean, regardless of the fact it was Sinatra who played him in the original. See, the thing is, Sinatra is beyond cool. He is legend. He is icon. Martin, though, he’s a real flesh and blood man. He’s human, with flaws and foibles. And Clooney is his heir apparent. Continue reading “Review: Ocean’s Thirteen”
Review: 1408
Before we can really talk about this film, we need to talk about definitions. This is where a lot of film critics run into trouble. We look at movies differently than normal people. In fact, just the other day, my own mother asked me if there were any films I actually liked. Now the reason for this is because we, sometimes, expect more from a film than possibly the filmmakers themselves. Continue reading “Review: 1408”
Review: Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer
Do you ever get the feeling that people making superhero movies have never read a comic book? With the exception of Sam Raimi, it seems to me that all these directors and writers being hired to bring the men and women in tights to life on the big screen treat the job offer as a paycheck assignment and entry into a big budget world as opposed to the sacred trust it really is. When you are brought on board to make a film based on a spandex-clad icon, you have a responsibility to the fans, to the people who grew up with these characters. Director Tim Story, in his second go around with these characters, almost gets it right. Continue reading “Review: Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer”
Review: Eagle vs. Shark
It took me a while to write this review because I really wanted to like the film. Honestly, I did. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, for me it just didn’t work. Okay, to be fair, a lot of films don’t work. So why am I so concerned about this particular effort? Because it was so close to working that I want to reward the effort and encourage writer/director Taika Waititi to make more films! Continue reading “Review: Eagle vs. Shark”
Review: Nancy Drew
If you are (or know) a girl between the ages of ten and fourteen, run out as quick as you can and see this movie. Seriously. This is the one all the kids will be talking about in homeroom (if you go to a year-round school, otherwise it’ll be the day-camp conversation of choice). The story, about girl detective Nancy Drew, brought to life by second generation starlet Emma Roberts, is easy to follow. Nancy’s dad, who doesn’t like her sleuthing, takes her along on a three month business trip to Los Angeles. Of course, Nancy, being a Drew (“Always put other people first” is her father’s mantra) makes sure they rent a house that comes complete with a mystery attached. Continue reading “Review: Nancy Drew”
Review: Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End
To get it out of the way, right up front, I liked this movie. As a sequel, it was better than the second installment in the series (something which doesn’t often happen) and as a film in and of itself, it works on a number of levels. The film follows the continuing adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and wraps up, neatly, a number of the open ended plotlines left over from the first two films, Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man’s Chest. Without too much (and some might say not enough) recapping of previous events, we are immediately pushed into the film’s main plot, which is a good old fashioned us (the pirates) against them (the British) epic in a battle for the freedom of the seven seas. Continue reading “Review: Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 