Despite the massive build up to the debut episode, the HBO series Treme never really managed to catch on with viewers like some of the other appointment-TV shows the network has offered up over the past decade. Part of this can be attributed to the impossible to achieve expectations that had been saddled on the show and its creator David Simon, with fans and critics expecting…
Young Detective Dee Rise of the Sea Dragon is a 2013 film that works as a predecessor to Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, and provides fans of the initial film with ample backstory and a plot that is at least as alluring as the first film. Mark Chao (Dee Renjie) and Carina Lau (Wu Zetian) step into their previous role, while the cast is further bolstered…
The Following is one of the hottest shows on TV, looking to reinvigorate the cat-and-mouse, criminal and lawman genre utilizing hints of crime fiction, police procedural, and mystery genres. The absolutely star-studded cast (Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea) took to the air early in 2013, and have captured a considerable viewer share throughout its initial 15-episode run. The dynamic that is present between the serial killer Joe Carroll (Purefoy)…
Jack Kerouac is a difficult author to transfer to the big screen, but Big Sur is a title that imbues the silver screen with the inimitable Kerouac style. The title benefits from accurate scenery, language, and overall zeitgeist captured during the feature. Big Sur focuses on Kerouac’s life in the months immediately following the success of On the Road. Rather than bask in his success, Kerouac attempts…
Rewind This! Is a title that looks to showcase the unique qualities of the history behind video cassettes. While home entertainment has moved past the VHS and DVD formats, there is a specific allure to the era that allowed smaller film companies and those with a passion for film the ability to cheaply and easily get their titles to a wider audience. Rewind This! focuses on interviews with those that…
The film reinvigorates both the fight club and the young virtuoso gains valuable skills from the master genres, with Keanu’s role as Donaka providing an anchor that allows individuals to moor themselves on. Keanu’s Donaka pays Tiger Chen (Chen Hu) for eir skills, erupting into chaos when Tiger Chen learns that ey is a pawn in an underground fighting league. The action is fast-paced and realistic, while the grimy scenery…
Sweetwater is set in the last years of the 1800s, in an America that is still incredibly rough and tumble. Ed Harris and January Jones are put up against a considerable foe in Jason Isaacs, who has a delightfully evil turn as a fundamentalist leader. The costuming and set design make it incredibly easy for viewers to immerse themselves in Sweetwater, while the dialogue fits the period without confusing viewers.…
It’s pretty clear that South African writer/director Quinton Lavery is a big fan of Kevin Smith. From the black and white DIY aesthetics of Clerks to the more emotional (yet still raunchy and very funny) core of Chasing Amy, Smith’s style is all over Lavery’s hilarious indie Casting Me. The semi-autobiographical movie centers around Paul, a funny, but average looking casting director who never got around to…
Inch’Allah is a tremendously affecting film, and showcases the plight of those currently living in the West Bank. Set through the eyes of Chloe (Evelyne Brochu, of Orphan Black), a doctor that has been assigned with the Red Crescent. The sheer gap between the living situations in Jerusalem and the West Bank is shown with heart-wrenching detail, while every individual, patient, and citizens that comes in contact with has…
When Calls The Heart, a film adaptation of a Janette Oke title, is a tremendously inspiring film, and the movie is something that all members of the family can appreciate. The title surrounds an earlier period in American history (1875-1915, or so). While there are specific problems that the cast must encounter that are specific to that time period, the overall narrative that is weaved in When Calls The Heart…
The use of color in this film provides a greater level of nuance to what is already a compelling and alluring title. The movie surrounds the mob mentality that occurs when stories are picked up by mass media without properly vetting the initial sources. The Hunt is one of the first films that I can recall that has shown the specific ramifications of a false accusation. Part of the impact…
Zulu Dawn is an engrossing film that is helmed by a number of stars (Peter O’Toole, Burt Lancaster, Bob Hoskins, and Simon Ward), is bolstered through a stellar score crafted by Elmer Bernstein (who scored The Ten Commandments, Ghostbusters, and Stripes), and tells an epic story. Set 100 years in the past from its release date, Zulu Dawn captures the tense relationship between the Zulu Empire and the British forces…
The Dragon Ball Z Season One Uncut Blu-Ray set has just been released, and it bundles up the first thirty-nine episodes of this classic Japanese anime in one tidy package. The video quality of the first batch of DBZ episodes is simply fantastic. Individuals that watched the Cartoon Network airings of these episodes will be awe-struck at how well Dragon Ball Z cleaned up. The value-priced release (one will…
There’s a reason why The Angels’ Share took home the Jury Prize from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Finally available in the U.S., the film is funny without being forced and endearing without being sappy, almost a novelty nowadays. The movie, from Ken Loach (The Wind That Shakes the Barley), focuses on Robbie (Paul Brannigan), a Scottish juvenile trying to clean up his act after his girlfriend delivers his son.…
On the surface, Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus, starting even with the film’s title, sounds like a bad indie movie cliché. A coming of age/road trip movie with plenty of subtitles, drawn out discussions about life, blah, blah, blah. But somehow the movie manages to play within these same overly-familiar set ups, but with impressive results. Michael Cera plays the typical American jackass abroad (well cast,…
Prince Avalanche is set in 1988 and benefits from a dazzling array of stars, which include Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch. While the film benefits greatly by the specific decisions made regarding the scenery, the writing is so taut that the story could easily be told on a threadbare stage. Throughout each part of the film, there is a certain laser-like focus that is put into furthering the narrative. The…
Yes, a lot of the pre-movie publicity surrounding Lindsay Lohan’s comeback movie, The Canyons, focused on the fact that her co-star James Deen is a porn star. But Lohan aside, who does a pretty solid job in this clunky erotic thriller, it seems just about every other actor here was trained in pornos as well. The acting is stilted and dialogue pretty weak, thanks to one-time literary hit maker Bret…
The Boston Red Sox were the 2013 World Series Champions, and this documentary showcases the nail-biting intensity that marked each game of the World Series. The 90 minute runtime of this documentary provides ample time to go into the nuance of the team’s journey, all while touching on the individual contributions that fed into the victory. The clarity of the footage is astonishing, providing viewers with the next best…
Viewers may know Maz Jobrani from the Axis of Evil comedy tour or the variety of films that ey has had a part in (Friday After Next, The Interpreter). On I Come in Peace (which was filmed in Stockholm, Sweden) Jobrani is able to create a dizzying array of jokes. I feel that Jobrani’s humor touches upon a greater portion of the world than most; the comparison of Jobrani’s upbringing…
Aside from maybe The Beatles, you could never imagine another documentary working as well as Springsteen & I does with any other musician. The idea is simple enough: fans of Bruce Springsteen submitted short videos of themselves talking about their favorite Bruce memories, what he means to them, or simply the words they use to describe him. The result is surprisingly sincere and heartfelt without coming across as overtly…