Posted by James Brown on Monday, October 10, 2016,
In :
0.03% Wine Coolers
The Birth of a Nation
Directed By: Nate Parker
Starring: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Penelope Ann Miller, and Gabrielle Union
With President Obama wrapping his historic tenure as the President of these United States and the recent unveiling of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, there are plenty of historic milestones around which I could open up this review. With the enduring scars of racial injustices that are most prevalent in an ep...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 17, 2015,
In :
0.00% Water
Bridge of Spies
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda
"You're not worried?!"
-James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks)
"Would it help?"
-Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance)
There is such a thing as a match made in heaven on the big screen. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are living proof of this. You need to look no further than films such as Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal. Any collaboration between these two cinema legends is a 2-for-1 spe...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 8, 2014,
In :
0.06% Beer or Wine
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Directed By: Rob Minkoff
Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Leslie Mann, and Stephen Colbert
Children are taking over the box office we all know and love. Every time I turn around, there's a new movie for them in theaters. What happened to the good old days when they used to have a handful of flicks during the summer? What happened to the good old days when Hollywood was fixated on the 18-49 demographic and not their children? This year already, we've seen... Continue reading ...
Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 7, 2014,
In :
0.09% Cocktails
The Monuments Men
Directed By: George Clooney
Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett
Unless you're Martin Scorsese and getting geared up to release the next The Wolf of Wall Street, getting your movie's release date pushed back within just months of its arrival in theaters is an ominous sign. Not that it ever really had a chance at greatness, but I'm sure you all remember last year's G.I. Joe: Retaliation.... Continue reading ...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 19, 2013,
In :
0.00% Water
12 Years a Slave
Directed By: Steve McQueen
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard, Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, and Adepero Oduye
In a review two months ago, I wrote about how filmmakers are taking us to school this year. With films like Fruitvale Station, Lee Daniels' The Butler, and even 42, we've gotten a healthy dose of black history from Hollywood. We've arrived at our fi... Continue reading ...
Posted by James Brown on Thursday, June 7, 2012,
In :
0.12% Hard Liquor
For Greater Glory
Directed By: Dean Wright
Starring: Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Eduardo Verástegui, Peter O'Toole, Bruce Greenwood, Oscar Isaac, and Nestor Carbonell
Religious tolerance has been a major issue throughout all of human history. Nobody wants to be told by anyone else what to believe or what not to believe. People want religious freedom (at least for themselves). Nonetheless, what history remembers most often concerns those who are persecuted and denied the right to believe in wh... Continue reading ...
Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 14, 2012,
In :
0.06% Beer or Wine
The Iron Lady
Directed By: Phyllida Lloyd
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, and Richard E. Grant
Does great acting make a film great? This awards season has answered this very important question. Though it was never posed, it is worthwhile. Well, the answer has consistently been an adamant "no". Just look at Clint Eastwood'sJ. Edgar. On paper, the film was destined for the Oscars. What we got however was a subpar historical drama on one of America's most controversial m... Continue reading ...
