“Bale Out The Candles: Celebrating 4 Christian Bale Anniversaries In 1 Month”

Don’t worry: None of those anniversaries are for “American Hustle” or “Vice.” Continue reading →

“Corporations Triumph Over Cars in Ford v Ferrari”

Vroom vroom zoom zoom beep beep screech crash bang boom man emotions vroooooom manly slap fight zip zip zap Continue reading →

“Christian Bale’s Chubby Dick Cheney Impersonation Is the Only Interesting Thing About Vice”

I tried, guys. I promise you I tried. Oh, how I tried to give Vice, the new Adam McKay movie, a fair shake; tried not to read the movie as “The Big Short, but wicked extra, and also obnoxious.” But I couldn’t, because that’s exactly what it is, times ten, and don’t let any clever types try … Continue reading →

“‘Mowgli’ in the Shadow of ‘Lord of the Rings'”

It happens to us all: We crib, subconsciously, from the books and movies and shows and plays and such that make up our creative genetic material, whether when we’re writing our own books or movies or whatever, or writing about others’ books or movies or whatever. In the case of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, that mental bleed wound … Continue reading →

Review: Hostiles, 2017, dir. Scott Cooper

Poor Scott Cooper. This guy, he just can’t make a movie I’m capable of tolerating. I bet he’s pretty bummed. I hated Out of the Furnace; I also hated Black Mass, a movie I took personally as a Bostonian. (Seriously, someone make a fucking movie about Boston that doesn’t hinge on bad accents for once, please.) Cut … Continue reading →

Review: The Dark Knight Rises, 2012, dir. Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan has released his swan song to the Batman franchise; with The Dark Knight Rises, the reigns are now out of his hands. Did Nolan do it right in his final installment in the Bat-franchise? Continue reading →

…And the Nominees Are: Oscar Follow-Up

What makes the efforts of one director superior to those of another? If one person wins Best Director, does it stand to reason that they should also win Best Picture? I had these two questions– and sub-questions pertaining to both, as well as variations on each of said questions– rolling around in my head after … Continue reading →

….And the Nominees Are…

I’m not one to make a habit of writing about awards shows. Yes, I’m happy to comment on pieces other people have written about the Golden Globes or the Oscars, but as a rule I avoid committing blog posts to such subjects. They don’t interest me; this is entirely because they’re not produced for me … Continue reading →

The Home Stretch: Fall and Winter 2010’s Films to Watch

2010 dwindles down to its final hour with the passing of each day. It’s been a pretty mixed year, filled with movies worth watching but not necessarily worth getting excited about; only a handful here and there, for my taste, have really been exceptional and stood out amongst the crowd of good-but-unmemorable releases. But what … Continue reading →

Masks, Memories, Dreamscapes: Nolan’s Delusional Heroes (pt. 1)

Christopher Nolan is a man obsessed with heroes who choose fantasy over reality. This proclivity didn’t only begin when he took on the task of rehabilitating the ailing Batman franchise by wrapping it with thick layers of realism, though it’s easily the most obvious place to start in this particular analysis: Nolan’s characters, beginning with … Continue reading →

Terminator Salvation, 2009, dir. McG

Christian Bale’s career is experiencing a strange trend: He’s a leading man who never leads. He’s a star who gets up-staged by his supporting cast. In short: What is the damn point of Christian Bale being in movies? This trend started with The Dark Knight, where aside from the obvious raw impact of Heath Ledger’s … Continue reading →