On paper, Prisoners seems like its destined to be forgotten as yet another unremarkable thriller. The film concerns the abduction of two young girls and focuses its attention on two men searching for them; Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover – zealous carpenter and father of one of the girls – and Jake Gyllenhaal as Detective…
Woody Allen’s Manhattan is a dark mirror image of his Oscar-winning triumph Annie Hall. Both are romantic comedies set in New York and both feature Allen and Diane Keaton delivering hyper-literate and observational one-liners. Manhattan is filmed in black-and-white (unlike Annie Hall) and it suits the disparity between the two; Annie Hall is colourful, idiosyncratic…
“Eye Spy” is the strongest episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so far. It’s not without its problems, but it largely succeeds by avoiding the pitfalls that earlier episodes had recklessly tumbled into. The ensemble’s dynamic may not be all there yet, but that’s not necessarily a problem when the players are separated. The humour…
I expected to hate Cinema Paradiso a few minutes in. I’m not sure what it was. Perhaps the “ain’t-I-a-stinker” grin of Salvatore Cascio, playing young ‘Toto,’ the film’s protagonist? Or maybe it was the syrupy silliness of early scenes involving an exasperated priest censoring films of any “pornographic” kissing scenes. Little by little, the film…
As a way to reintroduce Nicholas Brody into the series, dragging his grievously wounded body through a decrepit urban landscape is a memorable choice. The shots of Damian Lewis gasping for breath, his pale blue eyes surveying the concrete canopy are already ingrained in my memory. Brody’s storyline was great in some ways. The character…
As provocation, it’s hard to deny the success of Tom Six’s Human Centipede series (which awaits its final segment’s release next year). In a genre defined by mimicry and repetition, the horror concept that launched these films has clearly resonated as a fresh, frightening notion. The idea of a “human centipede,” human victims grafted together…
Piranha, an undisguised Jaws ripoff from the late ‘70s, is no match for the Spielberg’s blockbuster phenomenon (which makes a cameo appearance as a video game). This Roger Corman creature feature, helmed by Joe Dante (of Gremlins fame) is nonetheless a surprisingly good B-movie. It contains all the B-movie trappings: skinny dipping teenagers, unconvincing special…
Early in Stephen King’s time travel story, 11.22.63, protagonist Jake Epping has settled in to the town of Derry in the late 1950s (those familiar with King’s oeuvre will recognise Derry as the setting of one of the author’s best novels, It). Jake is an English teacher under the assumed name of George Amberson. He’s…
“The Asset” wasn’t a spectacular episode, but it’s the first time Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has put together a consistently entertaining hour, and it’s enjoyable enough to keep me coming back. Much of the appeal of the episode came from focusing on three strong elements: Guest star David Conrad as a charming Maltese millionaire who anchored…
I can remember the Beltway sniper attacks of 2002, but the memories are vague. It’s perhaps harsh, but it seems that every few months there’s yet another senseless mass shooting in America. Of course, these shootings were different – no apparent motive, without obvious culrpits, the sense of all-pervading fear they must have created is…
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