Films That Matter
Safety First
Like a severe and utterly serious version of Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 satirical dark comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, you would think that Fail Safe would have been the original release in theatres that was then later spoofed, yet that is not the case. Released approximately six months later in the same year, as you might imagine, it led to very poor returns at the box office – dare I say it (as the film deals with this subject matter)... it was a bomb! Despite that, over time, it has become a bonafide classic. Based upon Eugene Burdick’s 1962 novel of the same name and directed by Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon), he introduces us to our main players by way of little vignettes.
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Two Stars Shine Bright in the Heavens
January 14, 2016By now, I am sure many of you have already heard that legendary rock star David Bowie passed away on January 10th, 2016. What you may not yet have heard is that iconic British actor Alan Rickman passed away earlier today.
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Cool Runnings Warms the Heart
Cool RunningsJanuary 12, 2016The phrase "based on true events" is used a lot in films these days, but as we know, it is a very loose term. Though there are kernels of truth in most of these movies, it is usually just an idea that captures the screenwriters’ imagination which is then turned into his or her own fictionalized version of history. One movie that exemplifies this is the Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure, Last Vegas) Disney flick Cool Runnings.
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A Masterclass in Screenwriting
12 Angry MenJanuary 10, 2016If there is one thing that films often lack, especially in the twenty-first century, it is a solid script. One classic motion picture that demonstrates a near perfect screenplay is the iconic 1957 movie 12 Angry Men.
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Rag-Tag Team Rocks Through the Galaxy
Guardians of the GalaxyJanuary 8, 2016The anti-hero, who can be described as a vital character that lacks typical heroic qualities, has been a staple of both film and television over the past several years. Actors like Hugh Laurie, who created the iconic game-playing character House and Johnny Depp, who modelled his likeable yet sketchy pirate Jack Sparrow after Keith Richards, are just two examples of the moral ambiguity that comes with many a character nowadays. Perhaps a recent film that best exemplifies this term is when a group of rag-tag criminals come together to save multiple worlds in Marvel’s 2014 space action adventure flick Guardians of the Galaxy.
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Where the Limelight Never Fades
LimelightJanuary 5, 2016There may not be a man who better exemplifies the heights in which one can rise and then fall than the legendary Charlie Chaplin. The British immigrant perfectly illustrates the ‘American Dream’. He started as a vaudeville performer, then became a silent film star – he had already signed a million dollar contract in the 1910's. By early 1919, he had formed United Artists with partners Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith – giving him control over the quality of his beloved product.
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The Nostalgia is Strong With This One
Star Wars: The Force AwakensJanuary 3, 2016Star Wars: The Force Awakens has taken the world by storm. Before I wrote this review, I wanted to watch the film for a second time in a theatre – this time, in 2D, yet it was sold out more than two weeks after its opening night.