William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones star in this slow burn revenge thriller that sees the pair as former P.O.W.s of the Vietnam War finally returning home. Unfortunately, the world isn’t the way Major Charles Rane (Devane) left it. His city welcomes him back, gifting him a giant Cadillac convertible, and a hefty collection of…
Tag: commentary
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) – Robert Mulligan
The moment I finished Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, I knew it was tome to check out the cinematic version, another hole in my viewing category. Gregory Peck headlines as Atticus, a role that garnered him an Academy Award. The film garnered two more wins, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Set/Art Dec. It received…
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) – Harper Lee
Countless people read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, or couldn’t read it because people fought to get it banned. In high school, for me, it was all about Le Petit Prince and The Catcher in the Rye. I’ve had a huge hole in my literary field. But I was finally glad to fill…
Companion (2025) – Drew Hancock
Companion was a super-enjoyable film with a not-so-subtle commentary about how we, as a society, use and abuse technology, including AI, for our comforts. Which shouldn’t be a surprise considering we do that each other. Often funny, and filled with sharp dialogue, and whip-smart performances from Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, and Harvey Guillen. You know…
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) – Colm McCarthy
I don’t know if there’s a horror sub-genre more flexible and adaptable than the zombie story. It can do straight horror, gore, comedy, romance, tragedy, and can give us social commentary, or just give us a white-knuckle thrill ride. This time out, it’s a pontificiation on humanity, our treatment of others, growth, and nurturing. Mike…
Misery (1990) – Rob Reiner
I remember reading Stephen King’s novel for Misery, and getting caught up in the tension. The same happened the first time I watched Rob Reiner’s film version featuring an adapted script by William Goldman and featured James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall, and Frances Sternhagen. I hadn’t watched it since it first came…
Woman of the Hour (2023) – Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick’s feature film debut gives a chilling look at how women have to be aware of everything all the time, as she brings to the screen a true story of a serial killer and rapist, and his unlikely appearance on The Dating Game and may be the bachelor Sheryl (Kendrick) chooses from the three…
Farscape (1999) – The Flax, and Jeremiah Crichton
Aeryn (Claudia Black) and Crichton (Ben Browder) find themselves trapped in a something called the Flax, while teaching Crichton to fly the shuttle. And trouble brews aboard Moya with the arrival of a garbologist named Staanz (Rhys Muldoon). The Flax was written by Justin Monjo and it first aired on 16 July, 1999. The flax…
Monkey Man (2024) – Dev Patel
Dev Patel directs and stars in Monkey Man, an action revenge film that makes sure to add in emotion, trauma, as well as some commentary on religion and politics. It’s all done without losing the driving, pulse-pounding action sequences that make this film incredibly enjoyable and watchable. As the nameless hero of the film, known…
TIFF24: Nightbitch dir. Marielle Heller
Amy Adams stars in this sharp-toothed film about the trials of motherhood and societal expectations around that role. Delivering a biting inner monologue Adams is completely engaged as an exhausted and angry Mother. She’s left her aspirations of being an artist behind to be a stay-at-home mom while her next-to-never-there husband (Scoot McNairy) continues with…
The Mind Reels 