As I’ve alluded to the last couple of days, 2009, in my opinion, was a year for great genre films, not necessarily straightforward dramas. For instance, this time of year I’d normally be busy planning how I was going to get to see all the major Oscar contenders in the next month. This year, my […]

The first thing that stands out about “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” is that it’s not gun- shy about its moral storytelling. From the get-go, legendary director John Huston, who wrote the script and directed based on a novel by B. Traven, feeds us foreshadowing about the perils of money and seeking great fortune. […]

I didn’t see everything 2009 had to offer, but I feel pretty good about this list of the ten best films of 2009. I think most people, at least of my age demographic of 18 – 28, will agree. I gave a lot of films 4.5/5 stars this year, which I was pretty surprised at […]

There comes a point in the repetitive nature of films where the phrase “run-of-the-mill” just won’t do. In the case of the remake of the train hijack/ransom heist thriller “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” the mill has been running so much that maybe the more adequate phrase should be the past tense “ran.” […]

Call me behind the curve, but I think now is the appropriate time (the last film release of 2009 was Friday) to take a look back at the last year of this pretty remarkable decade in film (more on the decade later). To start off my Year in Review, I present the Genre Awards – […]

Did I say disappointing December? Well, it seemed everyone was just waiting until Christmas. The Box Office jumped up over 100 percent this past weekend for the highest grossing weekend of all time. To let you know how incredible this weekend was: my prediction for the box office winner, Sherlock Holmes, broke the record for […]

Does the independent drama have a formula? “Sunshine Cleaning” is a touching family/relationship drama with a great cast, but there’s also something incredibly familiar about it. For instance, there’s Amy Adams as Rose, a former high school cheerleader now a single mom without a steady paycheck having an affair with a married man (Steve Zahn). […]

The grandfather of the mystery genre — and film’s most adapted character — is none other than the great detective Sherlock Holmes, so if one were to apply Holmes’ own deductive reasoning skills, a modern reinvention was a matter of time. English Director Guy Ritchie (“Snatch,” “RocknRolla”) applies his witty and gritty crime thriller style […]

No matter what religion you do or don’t observe, everyone has their favorite Christmas movies. Fact of the matter is, you turn on the TV at any given moment the week or so leading up to Christmas and your bound to find one – and not be able to stop watching it. Since I have […]

For those of you considering Nine as your Christmas weekend movie, here’s a little insight into where it came from, “8 1/2” by Federico Fellini. There are many different ways to look at Federico Fellini’s masterpiece, “8 1/2,” and the one you choose ultimately determines how well you understand and enjoy the film. There are […]

In case you missed last weekend’s preview, I’ve evolved this weekly post into a more comprehensive movie guide, mostly in anticipation of this huge coming weekend at the movies. Now when you click on these posts, you’ll find a list of the new releases, a brief plot summary and some of the buzz surrounding the […]

As expected, the much-hyped revolutionary sci-fi action film Avatar gave a boost to a disappointing December box office so far. The total was $77 million, right what I initially thought it would have made had there not been 3D ticket sales and a pretty incredible buzz. The real feat was worldwide, however, where Avatar make […]

James Cameron is a storied director whose films have been landmarks of their time. Like he did in the ’80s and ’90s with both Terminator films, he returns from his 10-year hiatus without missing a beat, shepherding audiences into the future of cinema with progressive film-making done with the most advanced technology. “Avatar” is a […]

Jason Reitman has been the creative force behind two of the warmest, funniest, modern- savvy and thought-provoking comedies in the last five years (“Thank You For Smoking” and “Juno”). He continues this tradition with “Up in the Air,” one of if not the best film of 2009, which looks at life with a view from […]

Actress Brittany Murphy, famous for her roles in films such as Girl, Interrupted, Uptown Girls, 8 Mile and Sin City, died in LA Sunday morning, reportedly from cardiac arrest. She was 32. Murphy made her debut in Clueless at age 18 and has several films, including the highly anticipated The Expendables due out early next year. Murphy […]