Let me begin by saying that I have never seen an episode of any Star Trek television series. Nor had I seen a Star Trek movie until J.J. Abrams’s recent update of the cult classic. No longer held prisoner by obsessive fans and Trekkie conventions, Star Trek proves itself to be a stylish and intelligent story, palatable to wide audiences.
The biggest reason I wanted to see Star Trek was that its director, J.J. Abrams, is the creator and director of Lost, the world’s most brilliant...
Joe Wright is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. I fell in love with his 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, and, although I have yet to see his Oscar-nominated 2007 film Atonement, I think he has another winner this spring with The Soloist. The story depicts real human misery and authentic compassion, packaged together in a refreshingly unique style of filmmaking.
The Soloist is based on a nonfiction book by Steve Lopez, columnist for the L.A. Times. In 2005, Lopez met a...
Sometimes the best messages can come from the most unlikely sources.
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A good example is “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”
The weekly television series, which ended its second season on Good Friday amid rumors of possible cancellation, has proven to be a surprising show.
Based on the three “Terminator” films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the series has been enriched by its allusions to the...
I don’t get to the movies very often these days. So, it is especially disappointing to waste my time on an artistically and morally bankrupt film that lacks even vague entertainment value. The one thing that redeems my experience of I Love You, Man is that by writing this review, I may be able to spare others the agony.
I Love You, Man begins with a simple premise that has a lot of potential. Paul Rudd plays Peter Klaven, who proposes to his girlfriend and, in the process of choosing...
A rare word-of-mouth phenomenon, Slumdog Millionaire has captured the nation’s attention in the last few months. To me, the most impressive feat of this movie has been its ability to attract everyday ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /
Based on the trailer for writer/director John Patrick Shanley’s recent film, I expected Doubt to be a predictable cheap shot at the Catholic priesthood. Since the sexual abuse scandals of recent memory, it has been far too easy for filmmakers and media outlets to demonize the clergy. Because Doubt deals directly with the topic of clerical sexual abuse, I pegged this movie as more of the same.?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /
I was surprised and...
During the post-Vatican II push for more "relevant" religion classes, students in my high school "Theology of the Film" course trooped off to see Dirty Harry -- the 1971 drama starring Clint Eastwood as the police lieutenant who violates the law, including the torture of suspects, to protect San Franciscans from a wily serial killer.
Afterward, we held the requisite classroom debate on whether Harry was justified in taking the law into his own hands. Most of us teenagers didn't quite...
The Batman franchises have long struggled to find the correct balance between good and evil. In the original Batman, Tim Burton's love for the visually (and emotionally) bizarre, combined with Jack Nicholson's apparent inability to control himself, produced a film whose focus quickly shifted from Michael Keaton's mildly-tormented title character to Nicholson's wildly over-acted Joker. As the franchise moved from Batman to Batman Returns, from Batman Forever to Batman and Robin, the villains...
A surprise hit of 2005, The World’s Fastest Indian is an outstanding celebration of humor, simplicity, perseverance, and kindness. This charming film is based on the true story of Burt Munro, a motorcycle enthusiast from New Zealand with aspirations to make history.
Impeccably acted by Sir Anthony Hopkins, Munro embarks on a journey to America to race his rebuilt 1920 Indian, an American-manufactured motorcycle, in a land speed competition. His humble beginning is reminiscent of many a...
Directed by Christopher Nolan, the talent behind Memento (2000), The Prestige enters the secretive world of magic to tell the story of two men hungry for fame and obsessed with revenge. Although the dialogue eventually succumbs to cliché, Nolan’s story is refreshingly subtle and mysterious.
The Prestige follows the rivalry of two young magicians, Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who repeatedly ruin one another’s performances and often place each other in...
