Robot & Frank
Is it impossible not to be charmed by a film about a retired cat burglar who becomes friends with his robot care taker, who then become burgling together? Almost. Especially in the capable hands of a man as talented as Frank Langella. It is he who plays the titular Frank. Robot is voiced by a HAL9000-sounding Peter Sarsgaard. Frank’s children are played by Liv Tyler and... Read More
Compliance
As infuriating as Craig Zobel’s Compliance is, any righteous indignation will likely be potentiated when considering the fact this story is true, based on true events. What’s worse, and perhaps the most intriguing, is there may be something inside you that says you may just have acted the same way if you were in the same circumstances that Zobel’s characters found... Read More
Lawless
by Adam Young Sitting down in the theatre to watch lawless with my wife and friends, I had mixed emotions and no serious expectations outside of the fact that I knew there would be violence and some very slick hair cuts. What I left the theatre with was much, much more than I expected. Lawless follows the bootlegging careers of the three Bondurant brothers Jack (Shia LaBeouf),... Read More
Cosmopolis
There were those that worried David Cronenberg’s last film, A Dangerous Method, was if anything, not dangerous at all. The director, with his infamous reputation as the king of horror and the macabre, came out a four-year hiatus not with a bang, but more with a whimper. This move was particularly disappointing considering his strong displays the few previous years which included... Read More
The Awakening
We’ve seen everything in The Awakening before. In movies like The Others, or more recently even, The Woman in Black. This means that, at times, The Awakening is a bit boring, and sometimes even tedious. But that’s not to say it’s not without its charms. Although Awakening is a ghost story, it is also a detective story. Sherlock Holmes investigates the supernatural... Read More
BBC’s Life on Blu-ray
Life is a sprawling, ten episode nature documentary, first aired on on BBC One and BBC HD in late 2009. Commissioned by Peter Fincham just weeks after he became the Network Controller of BBC One, it was a bold move for someone who just became the boss. The series was shot entirely in high-definition. It took three years of filming, on seven continents. Seventy camera crews... Read More
The Woman in Black
It is no secret that iconic roles tend to kill the future career of the actor who plays in it. Nobody survived the Star Wars movies except for Harrison Ford, for example. But it’s possible. Look at the six actors that played in the sit-com ‘Friends’. They’ve all emerged with critically lauded projects, whether it be acting, directing, or any something else.... Read More
The Dark Knight on Blu-ray
Can you believe that it’s been four years since The Dark Knight was in theatres? It’s true. It was released in 2008. And it’s been four years since I’ve seen The Dark Knight. But now seems like a good time to refresh myself, so I can really whet my appetite for The Dark Knight Rises. And whet my appetite it did. I have a bad habit of diminishing Christopher... Read More
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on Blu-ray
I am always game for a Guy Ritchie film. I was even a fan of the ridiculously pretentious and flawed Revolver. Style over substance is okay with me. Most of the time. There’s not quite anyone who can find the humor and brutality of the British underworld like him. Mike Leigh is pretty good at the underworld part, but his movies aren’t that funny (except for Happy-Go-Lucky).... Read More
Project X on Blu-ray
I’ve been a bit curious about Project X since it was in theatres. Granted, not curious enough to pay to see it, but still, I like movies about parties that get out of control. And I’m always interested in something Todd Phillips will put his name on (for Project X he’s listed as a producer, noticeably not an executive producer). Even it’s just a hate-watch,... Read More
