October 2010
6 posts
2 tags
The Town (2010) review
Technically, The Town isn’t bad: although it’s predictable and stylistically bland, it’s still entertaining enough. But I think it lacks a moral centre, and I was mildly irritated throughout the film, waiting for the “hero” to display some sense of remorse, some sign of inner turmoil about his lawless profession, some justification for doing what he does.
In Gun...
September 2010
7 posts
5 tags
The American (2010) review
Generally well-received critically, The American had a strong opening weekend at the box-office, then plunged precipitously ($16.6 million down to $5.6 million) the next week (and $2.6 million the week after). This suggests a popular backlash against what some have termed “misleading” advertising, playing up the “action-thriller” aspects of a film which—if one looks...
2 tags
Devil (2010) review
Does it seem as if I’m watching a lot of horror movies lately? I confess, I am genre-oriented, but my diet isn’t restricted to fantasy films, in fact my next entry will (probably) be a review of The American, more cerebral drama than spy-action movie, despite the ads.
But right now Devil is under the microscope. Am I the only one who thinks films one sees in the cinema should...
4 tags
The Last Exorcism (2010) review
Having read a fair amount of criticism and comments about The Last Exorcism—much of it favourable—I went in with a positive disposition. Yes, I was mildly annoyed it was YET ANOTHER faux-documentary (“mockumentary,” a term in wide use, seems to have a comedic connotation to me), but only rarely (*cough* The Fourth Kind *cough*) has the formal structure of this type of...
4 tags
Machete (2010) review
Machete seemed custom-made to please me: I like action movies and exploitation films, and I’m a student of Mexican cinema (and by extension, Mexican popular culture and Mexican history, society, etc.). Plus, with a cast headlining Danny Trejo (described on Somethingawful.com as resembling “a 66-year old walking catcher’s mitt”), Steven “I Ate Too Many Jelly...
5 tags
Blood, Boobs, and Beast (2007) review
The category “Maryland Filmmakers” would not be a popular one on “Jeopardy!”, since the list of possible answers would be relatively short. John Waters? Barry Levinson? Don Dohler? Yes, Don Dohler. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, Blood, Boobs and Beast probably won’t have been on your radar screen either.
Dohler represents something special to a...
