January was a crazy month. It saw the end of CriticPlanet, the continuing of my wife’s pregnancy, the aftermath of the holidays, and coming to grips with the new year. The movie report has taken on different forms through the years and this year is no exception. Let me know how you like the new format and, if all goes well, I’ll continue with these capsule review movie reports. I look forward to your comments!
Rating: 4/5
Every once in a while a short film comes along showcasing the talents of someone who truly understands the medium in which they work. This is the case with Grzegorz Cisiecki’s short film, Smoke (original title: Dym).
Smoke does not have a narrative per se, Cisiecki describes the film as “the story of the person who became the captive of surrealistic madness” and while I’ve read a couple of interpretations of the film, I’m not going to tackle one here. The film lacks dialog, but this is not a hindrance, as the film unfolds it’s easy to get sucked in by the surreal images that are carefully moved along by the score provided by Aleksandr Porach and Rashid Brocca. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 2/5
I’m not a big fan of comic book super heroes, nor the films based upon such heroes, and although a few good ones have slipped through, most fall under the category of Sunday afternoon fodder. Captain America: The First Avenger, I’m afraid, falls under the latter. It’s not that Captain American does anything wrong, it’s that it does everything right, textbook right. It’s a boring film and is the most generic super hero film I’ve ever seen. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 5/5
My Dog Tulip is a vivid account—taken from the pages of J.R. Ackerley’s memoir—of the 15 years spent with his “ideal friend”, Tulip, an Alsatian (commonly known as a German Shepherd) he rescued from an abusive and neglectful home when she was 18 months old. Dog owners will be moved, possibly to tears, by this story of love and companionship between a man in his autumn years and his loving, energetic, and often unruly, dog. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 5/5
I prefer to go into films blind—knowing as little about the film as possible before viewing it—I want to take in the experience as the director intended. Often, trailers—and sometimes reviews—reveal too much about the film and dull the experience. Thankfully, the trailer for Midnight in Paris gives away nothing so I had no idea what I was in for, which made for a richer film-going experience. If you want the full surprise of Midnight in Paris, see it without any further information. Read the rest of this entry »
Summer’s here and women are outside wearing short-shorts and bikinis while I’m inside watching a documentary about a guy who plays with dolls. Well, that’s the life of the critic and I welcome it. After all, there are plenty of nude ladies in the movies, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on too much. I have a few good movies to share with you this month as well as a few duds (a couple of which are worth watching regardless), so grab a slice of cold pizza—and that lukewarm beer you’ve been nursing—and sit back as I do my best to convince you to stay indoors this summer. Read the rest of this entry »
Coming up quickly in the ranks of the cinema, Rhoda Jordan is more than a pretty face from music videos and horror B movies. With credits including: actress, writer, producer, teacher, singer, and ghostwriter, Rhoda Jordan has covered a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time. I recently had the opportunity to ask Jordan a few questions about her career as well as her collaboration with husband, writer/director Eric Shapiro, that resulted in the indie thriller, Rule of Three. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 4/5
Have you ever wondered what took place in a hotel room before you arrived? Maybe you found a relic from a past guest? What if you could peek into the past, and found something sinister? Rule of Three is an indie thriller that gives the audience a peek into three events that take place in the same hotel room, and eventually ties them together in a clever way. Read the rest of this entry »
Doug Claybourne may not be a name you recognize immediately, but he has a list of films to his credit that should make him a household name. In addition to producing many well-known films, including The Fast and the Furious, The Mask of Zoro and Ernest Saves Christmas (I’ll get to that later), his name can be found scattered across the credits of director Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam war epic, Apocalypse Now. Not only has Doug endured trials and tribulations—and come out the other side a successful film producer—but he’s also a heck of a nice guy. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 3/5
Who’s There? is a short film with its strengths on the technical side of production, but suffers a few bumps along the way, while showcasing a cast and crew with potential. Read the rest of this entry »
