SHUTTER ISLAND
At this point, he is really just fucking around, now that the Oscar business is behind him. And now, with his muse Dicaprio by his side, M. Night Scorsese is crafting shit that he once could do in his sleep. Maybe this is unfair criticism from someone rendered impossible to satisfy by masterpieces gone past. Still, when the big payoff is telegraphed early on (in the first act, if not the trailer), one is left with The Shining as filtered through Silent Hill without an unstoppable antagonist like Pyramid Head to inhabit our nightmares. The only truly frightening enemy is ...
AIRWOLF AND CHEAP BEER: A JOURNAL (episodes 5-9)
You might think that "Airwolf" was the only helicocentric 80s Action television show. You couldn't be more wrong if you were a creationist taking financial advice from Antoine Walker over the phone with one hand and masturbating to the Little League World Series with the other. To begin with, there was "The Highwayman," which was technically a show about a truck that turned into a helicopter, but it also co-starred noted Australian jerk-off, Jacko, in the roll of Jetto. There was also "Airwolf's" closer cousin, "Blue Thunder," with Dana Carvey, NFL stars Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith and in the leading ...
TOP 2 FILMS OF 2009
#2 The White Ribbon Somehow I got the notion that The White Ribbon is meant as an explanation of Nazism, probably because I'm an idiot. It isn't that, but it does provide some food for thought about the relatively recent roots of authoritarianism and oppression. Set in the Greater Fatherland Area around the turn of the century, our thoughts naturally turn to Hitler, who the kids in the story would likely grow up to support. With rigid totalitarianism on the brain, we notice nuances of life in German village upon which we might not otherwise immediately focus. Particularly, when authority becomes ...
FILMS OF THE DECADE – CINEMA ABOUT OUR WORLD
Far from filler of a time capsule, these films consider the state of our world, the progress (or inertia) of our global society, and perhaps where we are headed. Though many such films are made each year, mostly for awards fodder, few really have a useful perspective and force you to meditate upon where you stand and what the future will bring. Chop Shop - Any of Ramin Bahrani's films would make this list, but this is his most tightly focused and genuinely moving, with one of the few child characters in the cinema that has the feel of reality. Each ...
THE DECADE’S DOCUMENTARY DISASTERS, 2000-2009
American Teen (2008) Nanette Bernstein can go straight to hell. Instead of a probing, investigative look at the rot passing for American youth, this “documentary” filmmaker saw fit instead to celebrate the pastiche of quirkiness that has all but swallowed our civilization alive. More than that, the movie is a lie from the opening bell, as the director has clearly re-created scenes, assigned dialogue, and fashioned scenarios that would fit with her pre-conceived agenda. As such, authenticity takes a backseat to a “good story,” which might apply if the only criteria were a platform for self-obsessed monsters lusting for martyrdom. ...
PUBLIC HOUSING
The poor are hopeless. Give them health insurance so we can wash our hands of them.
BREAKING NEWS: MOVIEFONE STEALS FROM RUTHLESS!
Movie… fone, steals the exact format of our 80s action reviews. We promise author, Kevin Polowy that we’ll kill him last.
AIRWOLF AND CHEAP BEER: A JOURNAL (episodes 5-9)
Part 2 of Erich’s Descent Into Hell
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
When you think about it, it is pretty amazing. Ron Howard contributed to something worthwhile. Also, we went to the moon.