Short Cuts: Criterion Collection
November 17, 2016
After the critical and commercial success of The Player (1992) put Robert Altman back on the map—within the Hollywood industry—he wisely used his new found (and fleeting) cache to get a personal project of his green-lighted. With Short Cuts (1993),...
The Hateful Eight
March 30, 2016
It’s safe to say that at this point in his career, you know what you’re going to get with a Quentin Tarantino film – lots of incredibly well-written dialogue spouted by a colorful cast of characters who only stop talking when sudden, bloody violence...
Greenberg
July 9, 2010
When I see Ben Stiller starring in brainless comedies like the Meet the Parents and the Night at the Museum films, it just makes me sad because I know he’s capable of so much more. I understand why he does these films. They are paycheck movies that...
Margot at the Wedding
February 8, 2008
With The Squid and the Whale (2005), filmmaker Noah Baumbach reinvented himself by finally discarding the comparisons to Woody Allen that followed his early films (Kicking & Screaming, Mr. Jealousy) and produced a more nuanced, mature film with acerbic...
Backdraft: 2-Disc Anniversary Edition
October 11, 2006
At the time of its release, Backdraft (1991) was regarded by some critics as an admirable if not flawed homage to the profession of firefighting. Of course, compared to the recent Ladder 49 (2004) it seems downright gritty and hard-hitting but still doesn’t...
The Machinist
December 30, 2005
After seeing Christian Bale all buff and beautiful in American Psycho (2000), it comes as quite a shock to see the physical transformation he underwent for The Machinist (2004). No trickery was done with CGI or make-up to convey his gaunt, emaciated appearance....
The Jacket
December 28, 2005
Like the similarly themed The Machinist (2004), The Jacket (which was released in the same year) is all about the fractured perception of its protagonist. Jack Starks (Brody) is a U.S. soldier badly wounded in the first Persian Gulf War that resulted...
Short Cuts
June 20, 2005
After the critical and commercial success of The Player (1992) put Robert Altman back on the map—within the Hollywood industry—he wisely used his new found (and fleeting) cache to get a personal project of his green-lighted. With Short Cuts (1993),...
Road to Perdition
November 27, 2003
Road To Perdition is a curious beast. It’s polished, poetic and, in some scenes, pretty darn exceptional. It won an Oscar for the late Conrad Hall’s drop dead gorgeous cinematography and the critics lapped it up, even if the public were divided....
