Director Alexander Payne reunites with his Sideways star, Paul Giamatti in this earnest and laugh-out-loud dramedy that takes us back to the winter of 1970 and Barton, a boy’s prep school where Paul Hunham (Giamatti) teaches Ancient Civilizations and often finds himself clashing with not only his fellow teachers but his students as well, particularly…
Tag: director
TIFF ’23: The Dead Don’t Hurt
Viggo Mortensen wrote and directed this Western drama that is filled with recognizable Western tropes but Moternsen neither completely rejects them nor subverts them, he simply uses them to fill out his story about an immigrant couple that finds themselves living and loving on the edge of a corrupt Nevada town in the 1860s. The…
TIFF ’23: Reptile
I love a good film noir, and Reptile, having its World Premiere at TIFF, definitely falls into that category. Being released by Netflix (which means if you can’t see it on the silver screen you;ll be able to see it on your big screen at home in October) the film is a tightly wound spring…
Deep Blue Sea (1999) – Renny Harlin
This one is for my friend Lindsay, who insists this is a better shark movie than Jaws, and yet it can’t help but make a number of references to it, not the least of which is a familiar-looking licence plate. Director Renny Harlin does, for the most part, deliver a fairly solid thriller though even…
Batman (1967) – Penguin Is a Girl’s Best Friend, Penguin Sets a Trend, and Penguin’s Disastrous End
We find ourselves with another three-part episode. This one features the return of both The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds (Carolyn Jones). Written by Stanford Sherman this story really puts Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) through it. The first episode aired on 26 January, 1967. This time around the Dynamic…
Evil Dead Rise (2023) – Lee Cronin
Lee Cronin wrote and directed Evil Dead Rise a nice new spin on the classic horror franchise that promises the ultimate in grueling horror. As much as I love the originals, and Bruce Campbell, I love that the new films have eschewed some of the comedic elements and really leaned into the brutal gore and…
Extraction II (2023) – Sam Hargrave
So despite the crap shape Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is at the end of the first film, he gets rescued, saved, and rehabilitated. In fact, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) retires him to Austria in a little cabin by the lake, but when an unnamed man (Idris Elba) shows up and offers him a job, one with…
Cocaine Bear (2023) – Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks settles into the director’s chair again and delivers a mostly entertaining comedy thriller, which is loosely based on a true story, Cocaine Bear. Featuring an all-star cast led by Keri Russell, the film swings from working brilliantly to just falling a little flat. But damn if Banks doesn’t swing for the fences. There…
Hill Street Blues (1985) – El Capitan, and The Life and Time of Dominic Florio Jr.
Garibaldi (Ken Olin) is less than thrilled to discover that Gina (Jennifer Tilly) is now interested in Goldblume (Joe Spano) after he saved her life, Hunter’s (James Sikking) stolen RV (Belker (Bruce Weitz) has moved in with Robin(Lisa Sutton)) causes a problem when it’s used in a hostage situation, and with Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti)…
Shaolin Soccer (2001) – Stephen Chow
Writer/director Stephen Chow delivers another highly entertaining live-action cartoon that shows what happens when some washed-up Shaolin masters rediscover their powers and come together to play in the Chinese SuperCup competition. Chow is Mighty Steel Leg Sing. Despite his abilities, he can’t make a living and is trying to find a way to turn Shaolin…
The Mind Reels 