As a critic, I don’t begrudge a movie having a point of view. I may disagree with it – indeed, I might even condemn it – but I believe that every film deserves its day in court. This should not...
Almost as soon as it started, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard set off my Bad Movie sensors. Kris Bowers’ score, especially in the early scenes, trades off between plucky strings and bum-bum bass lines in a way that feels so...
As was the case in his previous film, 2018’s John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, Julien Faraut’s The Witches of the Orient is hypnotic, idiosyncratic, often beautiful and surprisingly fun. In regards to that last descriptor, Faraut–who works extensively...
1964’s Summer Olympics (or the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, officially) were the first to be held in a non-Western country, finally landing in Japan after the country’s two previously scheduled hosting opportunities were canceled due to World War II....
When 1973’s Visions of Eight was conceived and commissioned—even while some of it was being produced—no one could have predicted what the 1972 Munich Olympics would ultimately be best remembered for. Thus, it’s equally understandable and jarring that the terrorist...
Eight Men Out is a pretty faithful and earnest retelling of the 1919 “Black Sox” Scandal…to the film’s detriment. More concerned with compiling a mostly historically accurate checklist of what transpired, perhaps Sayles’ script would have been better served by another...
When discussing cinema, the term “exploitation” usually means something fun. Trashy and not exactly contributing to society’s moral fiber, sure, but fun. But Matthew Mallinson’s 1980 psuedo-documentary Fist of Fear, Touch of Death, out now in a limited edition Blu-ray...
Bette Davis doesn’t technically play the title role in William Wyler’s Jezebel (1938) because that’s not actually her character’s name (it’s Julie) but, come on, it’s totally the title role. We can tell she’s trouble from her hall of fame...
Title: The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick Year: 1972 Director: Wim Wenders Cast: Arthur Brauss, Kai Fischer, Erika Pluhar, Bert Fortell Synopsis: When disaffected goalkeeper Josef Bloch is dismissed from a game for committing a penalty, he finds himself...
Title: Raging Bull Year: 1980 Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent Synopsis: The career and life of boxer Jake LaMotta is chronicled over two decades; if his mercurial temper isn’t dictating...