Don Jon (2013)

Don JonCavemen most likely used their primitive imaginations and or a piece of charcoal to draw long flowing hair, round buttocks and large breasts on a rock wall. Men have been fantasizing about sex since the beginning, but never as feverishly as todays young male with his pornographic laden personal computer hovering above his taught lap. Don Jon takes a modern gawk at this age old issue and it’s worth a peep.

Being marketed on Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s reputation and rightfully so as his personal choices for the parts he has played over the years suggests the actor has taste. Here we get to see what the talented performer has to offer from the writer/director chair and he does not disappoint. Technically the movie looks great and the editing is worthy of an award, though it’s small budget won’t allow for one. (more…)

Posted by on September 27th, 2013
File under Reviews

Prisoners (2013)

prisoners93 seconds. Perhaps this is too graphic or too much information, but I feel that telling you the length of time I spent urinating (I clocked it with my phone for the sake of accuracy) after viewing  Dennis Villendeuve’s dramatic thriller, helps illustrate just how gripping this thing is. I was loaded with 20 ounces of coffee and held captive in the theater, unable to pick a moment where I might escape for bladder relief without missing something big. This is unusual as in usually if I have to exit a film there are plenty of predictable turns and or obligatory exposition fill in scenes that lend themselves to this purpose. Not with this 153 minute epic and for that I was painfully grateful. (more…)

Posted by on September 20th, 2013
File under Reviews

The Family (2013)

TheFamilyDeNiro and Pfeiffer (paired for the first time since Stardust) as mob parents in a witness protection program headed by Tommy Lee Jones, set in writer/director Luc Besson’s native France. How could all that be bad? It can’t, but all that doesn’t guarantee it’s goodness either.

Before we go any further, let me be clear that there is one scene/moment/2 minutes that is one of the best things I’ve seen on screen in awhile. More on that below.

The cold open is worthy of any good Besson movie (see Leon: The Professional and or The Fifth Element.) A ruthless hit man pays a visit to an unsuspecting and targeted family. So far so good. (more…)

Posted by on September 14th, 2013
File under Uncategorized