Collateral (2004) Review

Collateral is a laser-precise action thriller, that as per usual for macho auteur Michael Mann, also stops to pause for the introspective moment from time to time, certainly more than your average studio shoot ‘em up. This was a theatrical five-timer for me, and it’s a movie I’ve revisited numerous times on DVD and Blu-ray;…

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Milk Poster

Milk (2008) Review

In 2008, eclectic filmmaker Gus Van Sant released two films: Paranoid Park, a challenging and formally adventurous indie, and the more classically structured but no less emotionally stirring biopic Milk. I’ve long been fascinated by Van Sant’s interesting and unpredictable career, and his film about San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly…

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Meadowland review

Credit must be given to director Reed Morano with her feature film debut Meadowland – she’s taken incredibly dark and troubling material and turned it into an inherently compelling, extremely raw, and often times painful cinematic experience, one that’s wholly engrossing, but that will test the strength of most viewers. Given that the film is…

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Bridge of Spies Review

Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies is a good story that’s well told, thoroughly absorbing, and spectacular in terms of production values. Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance are wonderful, with the latter putting on a subtle acting clinic for the ages, and the former reminding us how consistently excellent he is as our American everyman. The…

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Fury (2014) Review

Fury is a reminder of how hellish life must’ve been like for guys suffering through tank warfare during WWII. This is another film that’s been making the HD movie channel rounds of late, and I always stop on it for a few beats, because it thoroughly kicks ass at almost every opportunity. Embracing the gung-ho…

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Prisoners (2013) Review

Morally probing, moodily stylish, and intensely acted by all, French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve’s thoroughly gripping and realistically violent kidnapping/revenge thriller Prisoners is one of the finest American crime movies in years, a film that has both a commercially satisfying mystery and thoughtful meditations on evil and the necessity/desire for retribution at its bleak and…

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Tales of Halloween Review

Tales of Halloween is a 10 segment anthology directed by 11 of Horrors biggest filmmakers, including Neil Marshall (The Descent), Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III and IV), Lucky McKee (The Woman) and Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider!). Tales of Halloween all takes place in one suburban town, which in one frightful night consists of…

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Sicario – Review

As the lights dim and the journey begins the BBFC certificate warns that Sicario contains “images of dead bodies”. And they’re not lying. The opening scene sets the grisly tone for Denis Villeneuve’s cartel thriller with a precise execution, as an FBI Kidnap Response Team storm an Arizona bungalow and makes a chilling discovery. Leading…

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