Stay tuned later today for more tributes to the life and work of Tony Scott from the rest of the Critic Speak team. It would be difficult to argue that Tony Scott’s “Domino” is his best work by any objective measure–it’s the kind of filmmaking that values messy passion over technical precision–but it’s my personal […]
Streaming Pick: “Domino” (2005) Read More »
The surprise is a lost art in contemporary cinema. Further, when new films actually manage to pull off unpredictable twists and turns–see Christopher Nolan’s “Memento”–they tend to sacrifice relatable characters to better service their plot tricks. Stanley Donen’s 1963 film “Charade,” on the other hand, is both unpredictable and emotionally resonant. The dynamic between the
Streaming Pick: “Charade” (1963) Read More »
It’s been a big season for Steven Spielberg fans. Not only does the director’s famed “Jaws” drop today on a beautifully restored Blu-Ray, but now comes news that perhaps his most beloved work of all-time, the Indiana Jones adventure “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” will play IMAX theaters on September 7 to celebrate/promote its own
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” returning to theaters… in IMAX! Read More »
“Two and a Half Men” gets a bad rap for being a misogynistic, uninventive CBS sitcom, but for those of us who prefer our “so bad it’s good”-style comfort food relegated to the boob-tube rather than the silver-screen, the show hits the spot rather well. Now comes news from The Hollywood Reporter that “singer-actress” Miley Cyrus,
Miley Cyrus to play Jake’s love interest on “Two and a Half Men” Read More »
Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges” is two movies in one — the first two acts a mournful, blackly funny, Catholicism-influenced mediation on guilt; the last a balls-to-the-walls, screwball action farce. If the film were a man walking down the street, he’d be dressed in a crisp dress shirt and a finely tailored sport-jacket on top and
Reviews by Request: “In Bruges” (2008) Read More »
Famed British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen isn’t letting the fact that his “The Dictator” (due out on Blu-Ray August 21) didn’t turn as much of a profit as prior efforts “Borat” and “Brüno” did. He is moving forward on a James Bond spoof that he will write with Phil Johnston (“Cedar Rapids”) for Paramount Pictures.
Sacha Baron Cohen to write James Bond spoof Read More »
As you may know, the British magazine Sight & Sound recently published the results of its once-a-decade Critics Poll on the best films of all-time. None of us here at Critic Speak were asked to participate (shocker), so we have decided to publish a short piece on the films that we think most deserved to
Glaring omissions: Our critics weigh in on the Sight & Sound Top 50 Read More »
Jimmy Fallon, the amiable host of “Late Night” on NBC is the leading contender to front the 2013 Oscars ceremony, with his former “Saturday Night Live” boss Lorne Michaels producing, reports the Los Angeles Times. That would represent a major play by the Academy to attract a younger audience for the telecast, which is popularly chastised
Jimmy Fallon may host 2013 Oscars Read More »
Had “Get the Gringo” been released 10 years ago, surely two things would have been different: 1. Its budget would have been several times the reported $20 million spent on the current product and 2. It would have received a theatrical release and a top-tier advertising campaign showcasing star/producer/writer Mel Gibson. Then again, Gibson arguably
Streaming Pick: “Get the Gringo” Read More »
Damon Lindelof’s script for “Prometheus” (co-written with Josh Spaihts) was filled with questions, but not many answers. What were the capsules full of black goo, exactly? What were the aliens from “Alien” doing there, anyway? Presumably, both entities related to the planned destruction of Earth, but the audience wasn’t given anything specific beyond that. Every
