The Big Chill: Criterion Collection
July 30, 2014
It was during the 1980s that the Baby Boomer generation were at the height of their influence and The Big Chill (1983) is often regarded as one of their most identifiable pop cultural touchstones. Using the clout he had acquired for his screenwriting...
Broadcast News: Criterion Collection
January 21, 2011
After the success of the Academy Award-winning Terms of Endearment (1983), James L. Brooks spent a few years to research and write what could possibly be his most personal film to date: Broadcast News (1987). Drawing from his years in television, including...
Mr. Brooks
October 30, 2007
With very few exceptions (Zodiac), the serial killer genre is dead. Or, at the very least, is completely exhausted with nothing new to say. Along comes Mr. Brooks (2007) which attempts to offer the novelty of Kevin Costner, known mainly for playing upstanding...
Neverwas
July 19, 2007
Neverwas (2005) is one of those cinematic oddities that somehow managed to slip under the radar despite its star-studded cast. For whatever reason (usually internal politics), Miramax bought the film two years ago and decided not to get behind it. Reviews,...
The Good Shepherd
April 3, 2007
The Good Shepherd (2006) has been a long-gestating project for screenwriter Eric Roth but then again pitching an epic biopic about the creation of the CIA must’ve been a tough sell for studios interested in making crowd-pleasing blockbusters and not...
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
October 31, 2006
Stephen King adaptations are traditionally hit or miss affairs. For every superior one like Salem’s Lot (1979) there are many more lackluster ones like Maximum Overdrive (1986). And so each new King adaptation is approached with a certain amount of...
Syriana
June 27, 2006
If there’s one good thing that has come out of George W. Bush’s presidency it is a wealth of politically and socially-minded art in response to his unpopular regime. Leading the charge, in Hollywood at least, is George Clooney who has positioned himself...
The Village
July 4, 2005
The Village (2004) is an evolution, of sorts, for the M. Night Shyamalan formula. Instead of focusing on one protagonist as he has done in his previous films, he has shifted the focus to an ensemble drama. It is also his first period drama in which the...
The Village
December 16, 2004
There are those out there that consider M. Night Shyamalan to be this generation’s Hitchcock (albeit with a thirst for horror), and there are those who consider him a hack who relies on outlandish plot twists. If you didn’t like The Sixth...
