Showing category "0.00% Water" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: On the Roadway to An Apocalyptic Future Courtesy of SkyNet, Terminator 2 Says Hasta La Vista to Judgement Day

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 22, 2015, In : 0.00% Water 
Terminator 2: Judgement Day





Directed By: James Cameron


Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong

I'm sure that many of you who are reading this post are fans of James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster Avatar.  The film did gross more than $2.7 billion at the box office and has no money-making equal in the modern era of film.  It has no sequel either, yet.  Fans have waited six years but must wait at least another two to return to Pandora.  This is not the least...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: On Your Feet Soldier! The Future Is Not Set With Cyberdyne Model 101, AKA The Terminator, Hunting Down Sarah Connor With a Phone Book

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 22, 2015, In : 0.00% Water 
The Terminator





Directed By: James Cameron

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, and Paul Winfield


"Thank you, Sarah, for your courage through the dark years.  I can't help you with what you must soon face, except to say that the future is not set.  You must be stronger than you imagine you can be.  You must survive, or I will never exist."
-Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn)

Very few films, especially franchise installments, leave an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape.  If...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Oh Captain! My Captain! Mr. John Keating & His Dead Poets Society Seize the Day & Contribute Their Verse to Cinematic History (Carpe Diem)

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 14, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Dead Poets Society





Directed By: Peter Weir

Starring: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Norman Lloyd, Kurtwood Smith, Dylan Kussman, and James Waterston


Ethan Hawke has had a great last couple of years.  He starred in Richard Linklater's critical darling Before Midnight.  He also found commercial success in The Purge in 2013.  He even had a supporting role in Linklater's coming-of-age masterpiece Boyhood earlier this year.  With Robin Williams's passing ...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: At a Bus Stop, Forrest Gump Tells People How He's Run Through Football Fields, Vietnam, & the Shrimp Boating Business All For Jenny

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 13, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Forrest Gump





Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field


"Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea.  You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it.  Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo.  Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried.  There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwic...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: With Gozer the Gozerian, Keymaster Vinz Clortho, & Gatekeeper Zuul, Ghostbusters Gets a Big Twinkie & The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, September 11, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Ghostbusters





Directed By: Ivan Reitman

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, and William Atherton

"Gozer the Traveler.  He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms.  During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg!  Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor!  Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted i...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Cheer for Dear Old Lean on Me As HNIC Crazy Joe Clark & His Ghosts Resurrect Eastside High & Lead Onto Victory on the Minimum Basic Skills Test

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 8, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Lean On Me





Directed By: John G. Avildsen

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Beverly Todd, Alan North, and Robert Guillaume

"They used to call me Crazy Joe.   Well now they can call me Batman!"
-Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman)

It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since Morgan Freeman gave us one of his most colorful performances to date as Principal Joe Clark in Lean On Me. It's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since a cantankerous Freeman saw the lightning crash, heard the thunder roll, and felt break...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: On the Upside Down Planet of the Apes, Bright Eyes Deviant Taylor Wants the Damned Dirty Apes to Get Their Stinking Paws Off Him

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, June 19, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Planet of the Apes





Directed By: Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, James Whitmore, James Daly, and Linda Harrison

"Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn.  Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed.  Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land.  Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours.  Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the ...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: With Aliens, Rubik's Cubes, and Operation Walking Distance, Super 8 is One Cool Throwback Sci-Fi Flick

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 3, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Super 8





Directed By: J. J. Abrams


Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, and Ron Eldard


The Internet is abuzz with talk about the casting for J.J. Abrams's Star Wars: Episode VII.  Expectedly, some Trekkies are still discontent with the fact that Abrams turned to the dark side by ditching the Star Trek franchise and are once again ranting on the web to make their voices heard.  In between Abrams's jobs of living long and prospering and letting the force ...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: In The Insider, 60 Minutes Producer Lowell Bergman Challenges Confidentiality Agreements & Tortious Interference for Big Tobacco Whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 23, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
The Insider





Directed By: Michael Mann


Starring: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Phillip Baker Hall, Lindsay Crouse, Debi Mazar, Gina Gershon, and Michael Gambon


"You pay me to go get guys like Wigand, to draw him out.  To get him to trust us, to get him to go on television.  I do.  I deliver him.  He sits.  He talks.  He violates his own fucking confidentiality agreement.  And he's only the key witness in the biggest public health reform issue, maybe the biggest, mos...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: With 30 Seconds of the Clash Between Cop Vincent Hanna & Robber Neil McCauley, You Know the Flip Side of the Coin Has Just as Much Heat

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 16, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Heat





Directed By: Michael Mann

Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Jon Voight, Val Kilmer, and Natalie Portman

"A guy told me one time, 'Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.'  Now, if you're on me and you gotta move when I move, how do you expect to keep a... a marriage?"
-Neil McCauley (Robert De N...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: In The Sound of Music, A Female Deer, A Drop of Golden Sun, and A Name I Call Myself Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 15, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
The Sound of Music





Directed By: Robert Wise

Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Eleanor Parker, Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner, and Kym Karath

My title is a dead giveaway.  I love The Sound of Music.  With unforgettable tunes like "Do-Re-Mi" and "My Favorite Things", this undoubtedly stands as one of the great musicals of all time.  With Julie Andrews of Mary Poppins lore headlining the film, di...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Born Under Unusual Circumstances & Getting Younger by the Day, Benjamin Button Is Fated to Forever Be a Curious Case

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 24, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button





Directed By: David Fincher

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, Tilda Swinton, and Jared Harris
 
For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be.  There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing.  We can make the best or the worst of it.  I hope you make the best of it.  And I hope you ...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: No Better Than a Beast, Evergreen Oldboy Oh Dae-su Becomes a Monster in Search of the Little Prince in the High Tower

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 24, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
Oldboy





Directed By: Park Chan-wook


Starring: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, and Kang Hye-jung

"Laugh and the world laughs with you.  Weep and you weep alone."
-Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik)

I've seen some sick movies in my time, but none may be sicker than Park Chan-wook's Oldboy.  It's one bloody, disgusting movie.  Despite this, the 2003 South Korean thriller is a rare testament to the fact that filmmakers can generate shock and awe with class and style.  In a very surreal scene during which our star pull...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: It Was a Dog Day Afternoon...Attica! Attica! Attica!

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 11, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
Dog Day Afternoon





Directed By: Sidney Lumet

Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick, and Chris Sarandon

"Kiss me.  When I'm being f*cked, I like to get kissed a lot."
-Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino)

The 1970s are often regarded as the Second Golden Age of Hollywood.  With all the social upheaval of the 60s and 70s over the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and a host of other issues of the day, there were plenty of things on people’s minds when they entered their local multip...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: With Tornadoes, Cerebro, and the Phoenix, X2 is the Next Link in the Evolutionary Chain of Comic Book Movies

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 29, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
X2: X-Men United





Directed By: Bryan Singer

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davison, and Anna Paquin

"Mutants.  Since the discovery of their existence they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred.  Across the planet, debate rages.  Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world?  Either way it is a his...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Wedding Crashers Rule #76- No Excuses. Play Like a Champion!

Posted by James Brown on Monday, June 17, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
Wedding Crashers





Directed By: David Dobkin


Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, and Jane Seymour

"True love is the soul's recognition of its counterpoint in another."
-John Beckwith (Owen Wilson)

Apparently, that's the kind of nonsense one spews when trying to pick up a girl at a wedding.  At least that's what's in the wedding crashers rulebook.  I can't be mad at that, or the two hours of hilarious banter between comedians Owen Wils...

Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Hangover – Not You Fat Jesus, Slide It On Back

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
The Hangover
SoberFilmChick




Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring:  Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, and Jeffrey Tambor

What do tigers dream of when they take their little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit? Don't you worry your pretty striped head, we're gonna get you back to Tyson and your cozy tiger bed. And then we're gonna find our best friend Doug, and then we're gonna give him a best frien...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Jurassic Park Gets My Endorsement Because Life Finds a Way

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 10, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 

Jurassic Park





Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, and Ariana Richards

"Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?"
-Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill)

I can't believe that it's been two decades since Juras...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: In Die Hard, Roy Rogers and Some Not-So-Common Thieves Tear Nakatomi Plaza to Shreds

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, January 10, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 

Die Hard





Directed By: John McTiernan

Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedalia, Reginald VelJohnson, and Paul Gleason

"Yippee kai yay, motherfucker!".  It's hard to believe that it's been a quarter century since a young Bruce Willis uttered these words to Alan Rickman and forever changed the face of action movies.  These aren't just the words of some older generation of cowboy, gun-loving Americans.  These are the words that symbolize an entire generation of act...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Kill Bill: Volume 1 – Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Wednesday, December 19, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

Kill Bill: Volume 1
SoberFilmChick




Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring:  Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen

We continue our retro review series of the films of Quentin Tarantino with a look back at Kill Bill: Volume 1.  I have to confess Kill Bill is one of my all time favorite films.  When it first debuted in 2003, I watched it on a Friday night and went right back to the theater on Saturday for a second viewing.  Kill Bill is an action-pa...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: In The Return of the King, the Pity of Bilbo Does Indeed Rule the Fate of Many

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 9, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)





Directed By: Peter Jackson

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, and Liv Tyler

The third installment in a trilogy is rarely the best because filmmakers are always trapped by the conventions of a trilogy.  They're trying to conclude the story and simultaneously outdo themselves.  Just look to Return of the Jedi, The Godfather:...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Union of Isengard and Mordor Spells Doom for the World of Men in The Two Towers

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition)





Directed By: Peter Jackson

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban, David Wenham, Brad Dourif, Sala Baker, and Sean Bean

When the journey began with The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson began introducing the world to his extravagant vi...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: It's a Dangerous Business Going Out Your Door, and The Fellowship of the Ring Does Nothing But Prove This

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)





Directed By: Peter Jackson

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, and Ian Holm

"One ring to rule them all.  One ring to find them.  One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
-Gandalf (Ian McKellen)

In the world of movies, there is no finer trilogy tha...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Pulp Fiction – A Royale With Cheese

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, November 24, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

Pulp Fiction
SoberFilmChick


Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring:  John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel

In honor of Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Django Unchained, STMR is doing a retro review series covering Tarantino films.  We are kicking off the series with a review of Tarantino’s classic Pulp Fiction.   We know that is out of chronological order for his films, but we could not resist.  Pulp Fiction stands as one of the fin...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Casino Royale Gambles on a Brand New Badass 007 in Daniel Craig

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

Casino Royale





Directed By: Martin Campbell

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, and Jeffrey Wright

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the on-screen debut of beloved British spy James Bond.  If you didn't know that by now, I'd be genuinely surprised.  Current Bond Daniel Craig opened up the 2012 Olympics with Queen Elizabeth several months ago.  There's been a blitz of advertising themed around 007 this year.  Ultimately, all this exposure and fanfare will culmi...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Breakfast Club Brings Together a Brain, an Athlete, a Basket Case, a Princess, and a Criminal for the Best Detention Ever

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

The Breakfast Club





Directed By: John Hughes

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Paul Gleason

"Don't mess with the bull young man.  You'll get the horns."
-Assistant Principal Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason)

The Breakfast Club has been resurrected as of late.  I've seen it on cable quite a bit.  It's just been released on Blu-ray.  It got some serious love in the recent comedy Pitch Perfect.  It has even been invoked as a comparison poin...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Equation Balances Itself Out, and the Wachowskis Find Perfection in The Matrix Revolutions

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 21, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

The Matrix Revolutions





Directed By: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Harry J. Lennix, and Harold Perrineau

“Everything that has a beginning has an end.  I see the end coming, I see the darkness spreading.  I see death.”
-The Oracle (Mary Alice)

The third chapter in a trilogy is often trapped by the inconveniences of being the final chapter.  At the end of the movie, everything has to come to...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: What is the Matrix? One Damn Good Movie That Shows Us How Deep the Rabbit Hole Goes

Posted by James Brown on Monday, October 15, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

The Matrix





Directed By: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano

How many movies have you seen where a director uses slow motion to emphasize big moments in action sequences?  How many times have you seen fools nearly break their necks trying to lean back as much as possible while dancing or horsing around?  How many times has someone asked you to take the red or the blue pill?  You can thank The Matrix ...


Continue reading ...
 

GUEST REVIEW: Caché

Posted by Zack Mandell on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

Caché





Directed By: Michael Haneke

Starring: Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteuil, and Maurice Bénichou

Zack Mandell is a movie enthusiast and owner of www.movieroomreviews.com and writer of movie reviews.  He writes extensively about the movie industry for sites such as Gossip Center, Yahoo, NowPublic and Helium.

We live in an era hooked on voyeurism.  The major American television networks, which once thrived on scripted shows, have slowly transformed into purveyors of “reality” shows, s...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: It's All About the Closers and Their Leads in Glengarry Glen Ross

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 16, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 

Glengarry Glen Ross





Directed By: James Foley

Starring: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, and Jonathan Pryce

"You never open your mouth until you know what the shot is."
-Ricky Roma (Al Pacino)

The gift of gab is a rare treasure, one that even few movie stars have.  For the most part, the all-time greats are the only ones with this gift.    They're those actors who can have monologues that go on and on, and yet we don't want them to stop.  You may thin...


Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Godfather Is Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse...For One Great Movie

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, August 23, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
The Godfather





Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Cazale, and Diane Keaton

"Bonasera, Bonasera, what have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you'd come to me in friendship, this scum who ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day. And if by some chance an honest man like yourself made enemies they would become my enemies. And then, they would fear you. "
-Don V...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Jane Eyre May Be a Freeborn Spirit, But She Has One Messed Up Love Life

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 8, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Jane Eyre





Directed By: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench, and Jamie Bell

There are always films that slip through the cracks that even I don't get the chance to catch while they're in theaters.  There are so many hidden gems out there, and it's my mission to catch them all with a drink in hand.  That's why retro reviews are so important to STMR.  2011 was a big year for a lot of young actors, namely Ryan Gosling, Jessica Chastain, and Michael Fassbender....
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona Shows Us Just How Romantic the Count City Can Be

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 6, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Vicky Cristina Barcelona





Directed By: Woody Allen

Starring: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn, and Chris Messina

Woody Allen manufactures movies.  He keeps putting out at least one new movie year after year and has been doing this for decades.  As any manufacturer knows, quality control is absolutely critical to putting out a good product. Over the years, one could argue that Woody Allen has had some issues with this critical item.  Ev...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Wise Guys Live It Up Like Movie Stars in Goodfellas

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Goodfellas





Directed By: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino

"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster."
-Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)


After The Godfather was released in 1972, mob films were never the same.  It was the film that made gangsters cool.  There were the Corleones, and then there was everybody else.  With the exception of The Godfather: Part II, no mob film could ever measure up to the greatness of Franc...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Courageous, Self-Sacrificing Peter Parker Sets an Example For Us All in Spider-Man 2

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, June 21, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Spider-Man 2





Directed By: Sam Raimi

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Daniel Gillies, and Dylan Baker

"Sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most, even our dreams."
-Aunt May (Rosemary Harris)


With the commercial and critical success of Spider-Man, a sequel was inevitable.  Hollywood was undoubtedly going to keep this cash cow alive.  The only problem was that they had to follow up one of the greatest comi...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Our Friendly Neighborhood Spidey Slings His Way to Greatness in Spider-Man

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Spider-Man





Directed By: Sam Raimi

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Roberts, Rosemary Harris, and J.K. Simmons

"In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you."
-The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe)

Superheroes do the impossible.  They are legendary men and women who do what the rest of us can't.  For this, we both love and hate them.  We put them on pedestals as gods among men.  At the same time, we label them as vigilantes and relent...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Alien, a Perfect Organism for Fear and Death & One Tough S.O.B.

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, May 24, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Alien





Directed By: Ridley Scott

Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto


The 2012 summer movie season has shown us one thing.  People love some alien movies.  Aliens are part of most of the big blockbusters kicking off the summer.  Just think of flicks like The Avengers, Battleship, and Men in Black 3.  Badass extraterrestrials are in style.  There's one more alien flick coming out in June as well.  It goes by the na...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Everything Burns in the Joker's Gotham, But We Have a Silent Guardian and Watchful Protector in The Dark Knight

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 13, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
The Dark Knight





Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman

"You'll hunt me.  You'll condemn me, set the dogs on me.   Because that's what needs to happen.  Because sometimes... the truth isn't good enough.   Sometimes people deserve more.  Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."
-Batman (Christian Bale)


Once in a long while there comes a movie that changes the way you look a...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Men in Black — Nothing Beats the Original

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, May 5, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Men in Black
SoberFilmChick




Directed By: Barry Sonnenfeld

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rip Torn, and Tony Shalhoub

In light of Men in Black III’s upcoming release, STMR is doing a retro review series on the MIB trilogy.  We begin with the original 1997 film, Men in Black.  I must confess that I am a long time Will Smith fan.  I grew up watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and listening to “Summertime”.  His transition from a teenage rapper to...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Batman Returns Helps Us Find the Man Behind the Bat & the Woman Behind the Cat

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Batman Returns





Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Christopher Walken

Later this year in The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway has the hardest job of all.  She's got to be Catwoman.  She's got to grab some skin-tight vinyl and a whip and bring out a dark, seductive side in her we've never quite seen on screen.  It couldn't be a more fitting year for this.  While 2012 marks the epic conclusion to the legend of the Dark Knight, it also marks the 20...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Did You Ever Dance with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight? Vicki Vale Did in Batman. His Name was Joker.

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 22, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Batman





Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance

With the excitement over the upcoming epic motion picture event The Dark Knight Rises, it's definitely worthwhile to revisit some of the older Batman films.  Before talk of Bane, Catwoman, and the Dark Knight himself reaches a fever pitch in the coming months, we need to talk about the movies that laid the foundation for films like TD...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Riggs and Murtaugh Bring the House Down in Lethal Weapon 2...Literally

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 14, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Lethal Weapon 2





Directed By: Richard Donner

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor, and Patsy Kensit

The first Lethal Weapon film set such a high standard for the modern action thriller that Lethal Weapon 2 had quite an unenviable task.  Following up a future classic is always a tall order.  As history tells us though, Richard Donner, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and others rose to the occasion and delivered another great action thriller that has stood the tes...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Titanic May Be the Ship of Dreams, But James Cameron Makes It an Awe-Inspiring Reality

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Titanic





Directed By: James Cameron

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Kathy Bates, Danny Nucci, Bernard Hill, Victor Garber, and Eric Braeden


It's a special year for the Titanic.  April 15th will mark the 100th anniversary of the tragic shipwreck in the North Atlantic Ocean back in 1912 that heralded the deaths of more than 1,500 passengers.   Later this year, December 19th will mark the 15th anniversary of James Cameron's film base...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Inception is Every Movie Lover's Dream Come True

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, February 1, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Inception





Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, Cilian Murphy, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine

Every once in a while, a blockbuster comes along that changes everything.  Just think of movies like Star Wars, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, and Avatar.  These films were all game changers that pushed big budget filmmaking to the next level.  In its own way, each film...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: True Grit Proves That the Western is Not Extinct

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 27, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
True Grit





Directed By: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld, Barry Pepper, Bruce Green, and Dakin Matthews

The Western genre is an endangered species that hardly graces the big screen any more.  In the last twenty years or so, Western films have become rarer and rarer.  I can probably count the number of good Westerns released over the last couple of decades on one hand.  It's not every day anymore that you get good old fashioned flicks like ...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Social Network Connects On All Levels

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
The Social Network





Directed By: David Fincher

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, and Rooney Mara

David Fincher has never made a bad movie.  Just think about films like Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  He's one of the few directors whom I completely trust.  If he's making a film, I know it's going to be good.  That's why it's not surprising that he delivers another solid movie in his 2...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: The Fighter Knocks Us Off Our Feet As It Spars With Greatness

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, January 15, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
The Fighter





Directed By: David O. Russell

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams

It's hard to beat a good sports flick.  There's something about the physicality and intensity of athletic competition on the big screen.  A great sports flick can get you up and shouting just as much as any game or fight could on a Saturday night with the boys and some brewskies.  In the film The Fighter, director David O. Russell brings to life the story of Mickey Ward and his quest to ...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: I Felt Black Swan...It Was Perfect.

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 13, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Black Swan





Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder

There's a thin line between genius and insanity.  Ultra-talented people are often really screwed up.  In the arts and entertainment, many of these folks are like supernovas.  They briefly shine brighter than anything or anyone before them, but all of a sudden, they're gone too soon.  Their personal issues take center stage, and they get the better of them.  Just think...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Colin Firth Gives a Royal Performance in The King's Speech

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
The King's Speech





Directed By: Tom Hooper

Starring: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush

Whenever an actor portrays a British monarch well on the big screen, they've just earned themselves an Oscar nod at the least.  I don't know what it is about portraying these larger-than-life figures, but I do know that any actor taking on a role of this nature will bring their absolute best when the cameras are rolling.  Just look at examples such as Cate Blanchett's performance as Elizabeth...
Continue reading ...
 

REVIEW: Thor Swings a Mighty Hammer

Posted by Zach Davis on Sunday, January 8, 2012, In : 0.00% Water 
Thor
Zach Davis




Directed by: Kenneth Branagh (Post credit scenes shot by Joss Whedon)

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, and Idris Elba


Kenneth Branagh did an outstanding job creating the worlds of Asgard and Jotunheim, the respective homes of the mighty hero Thor and the Ice Giants.  Branagh, not really known for using visual effects and computer images, managed better than many directors who spend their care...
Continue reading ...
 
 

 

Loading

 





 

 

 


 

Large Association of Movie  Blogs


 

Follow soberfilmcritic on Twitter