Films That Matter
Bungle in the Jungle
Nestled between two of Cecil B. DeMille’s massively successful historical epics (that he is so well known for), namely The Sign of the Cross (1932) and Cleopatra (1934), he directed two box office failures, This Day and Age (1933) and the movie reviewed here today, Four Frightened People (1934). Released just prior to the end of the Pre-Code era, DeMille’s early dramatic jungle adventure was reworked on the fly – which is partially why it is one of the iconic director’s middling efforts.
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A Journey of Discovery
IdaMarch 6, 2016The Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film from 2015 transports us back to 1960's Poland, where a young nun named Ida (also the name of the movie) will soon be taking her vows. Prior to doing so, the inexperienced girl takes a trip to visit the only family she has left living, an aunt named Wanda that she has never met.
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Vigilante Justice
Gran TorinoHarry BrownMarch 1, 2016I am excited to announce that a new feature has come to Filmizon.com – the ability to do a Dual/Duel movie review. I can think of no better way of putting the new set-up to the test than comparing one of the best films of 2008 – Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, to a lesser known, but equally strong picture – 2009's Harry Brown, starring Michael Caine.
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Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bridge of SpiesFebruary 28, 2016The Cold War was a truly unique, interesting and scary time when the whole world felt upside down – how else can you describe a worldwide conflict where tensions could not be higher yet bullets and bombs were not being fired. Paranoia, fear and propaganda ruled the day as two very different ideologies, brought forth by two powerhouse nations, fought for the hearts and minds of the world’s populace. It is in this intense setting that Steven Spielberg re-teams with Tom Hanks to make the harrowing, fish-out-of-water story Bridge of Spies.
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The Long and Short of It
The Big ShortFebruary 16, 2016Adam McKay, the comedic director best known for films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers, takes a much more serious turn in the Academy Award Best Picture nominee The Big Short.
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A Tale of Two Cities
BrooklynFebruary 7, 2016I can only imagine how difficult, lonesome and melancholic a solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean must have been for the numerous immigrants who travelled from Europe to North America – especially those who made the journey before technology and ingenuity made things, for lack of a better word, easy.
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Star Pick with Marcus Ovnell
Get Busy Living. . .The Shawshank RedemptionFebruary 2, 2016Marcus Ovnell, the writer/director of the excellent Swedish film The Break-In, is flying down to Cornwall, Ontario, Canada to premiere the above mentioned movie at the historic Port Theatre on Friday, February 12th, 2016 at 7:15 P.M. As a lead up to the very special event, enjoy this interview with the filmmaker from when we spoke at the St. Lawrence International Film Festival a few months earlier. It was clear from the very beginning that Ovnell has a great passion for cinema (especially American). Being a gargantuan fan of films, it took him a minute to narrow down his pick, with Shawshank Redemption taking the top spot in the end.
