Cinema A La Carte

IN THE BEDROOM, the 2001 Oscar nominated motion picture, was given praise by movie critic Roger Ebert as the best film he had seen at Sundance. It is a family drama, but it also is much more than that. Generational, getting old, losing a loved one, and seeing the end of a family line. The movie was ground breaking in many ways and has become a classic. From IMDB: A New England couple's college-age...

Spectacle. That’s what old Hollywood was known for. And the 1972 film THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE was one of those big budget spectaculars with a huge superstar ensemble cast. When disaster movies were “fab” and this one definitely stood out as one of the best. The last voyage of the wonderful cruise ship the Poseidon sets sail between New York City and Athens. After, it will be retired and decommissio...

The “little” film EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022), independently made, but picked up by A24 for distribution, basically out of nowhere became a major hit and also won seven Oscars at the Academy Awards.  Part science fiction, part comedy, part family drama, the movie received great reviews while also making a strong box office. From IMDB:  A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swep...

Legal thrillers have been a staple of Hollywood films for decades.  Long before the rating system and when film was black and white, they dominated theaters.  In 2007, the film MICHAEL CLAYTON became a big hit.  It was more a character study than just a legal thriller, and it included such topics as business corruption, mental illness, and family drama too. Michael Clayton (George C...

Terry Gilliam has been a very “confusing” director.  His films are sometimes called inaccessible.  Whether it is TIME BANDITS (1981), BRAZIL (1985), or FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998), his work is very distinct.  In 1995, his film 12 MONKEYS did have his various traits and also was a well received science fiction film with originality. In apocalyptic 2035, where people live un...

After his controversial chapter in the ALIEN film franchise, ALIEN 3 (1992), David Fincher went on a spree of some seriously remarkable films.  With a few minor films, he had a run of classics such as SEVEN (1995), THE GAME (1997), FIGHT CLUB (1999), ZODIAC (2007), THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) and GONE GIRL (2014).  His THE GAME, though a minor success at the box office, was a powerful exam...

Not often is there a film that comes around like 2017’s THREE BILLBOARS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI.  Some feel the movie is almost perfect.  It was nominated for many awards, won a whole lot, and will probably be remembered more so than the films it competed against.  Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) is a grieving mother.  A year prior her daughter was raped and murdered and the...

Shane Black has many successes, especially with screenwriting.  Some of his best known are LETHAL WEAPON, THE MONSTER SQUAD, and PREDATOR (all 1987), as well as IRON MAN 3 (2013).  His sense of humor and his apt work on action scenes has given many of his scripts great praise.  But he has directed too including our latest choice to discuss on Cinema A La Carte, KISS KISS BANG BANG (...

Survival films aren’t necessarily the most popular genre but many of them are highly remembered.  Whether it was such cinema as THE GRAY (2011), THE REVENANT (2015), or CAST AWAY (2000), many are considered classic cinema and highly regarded.  In 1997, the movie THE EDGE, written by David Mamet and directed by Lee Tamahori, oddly slipped through the cracks when first released. Charles Mo...

Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg is best known for his grindhouse and midnight movies back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, but as his career has evolved, he has become known as an award winning director for his dramas and thrillers as well.  In 2005, his movie A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE stunned audiences with his real world implications.  Based off the graphic novel of the same name by John Wagn...

Lincoln Child is one of today’s best selling authors.  His set of novels based off the special ops private eye Jack Reacher have been some of the favorite books by thriller and mystery fans.   In 2012, Tom Cruise was able to star and produce the feature motion picture, JACK REACHER, based off the first book in the series, ONE SHOT (2005).  The film was directed and written by l...

One of the biggest directors over the last forty years is also one of the least prolific.  Michael Mann has been synonymous with thrillers, sometimes shockingly violent and most certainly very stylish.  Even prior to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991), he had already directed Hannibal Lector in the adaptation MANHUNTER (1986) of Thomas Harris’ novel, Red Dragon.  However, one of his mo...

FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956), one of the most iconic science fiction films of all time, has been chosen as the latest Cinema A La Carte episode to discuss.  With its timely phenomenal special effects, the movie was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Visual Effects category.  By 2013, the film was entered into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry as an important movie in his...

After forming Pixar, Steve Jobs eventually sold it off to Disney, and since then the company has created some of the most successful animated films in movie history.  Though part of The Walt Disney Company, Pixar is its own subsidiary and is separate from Walt Disney Animation Studios.  In 2015, Pixar’s movie INSIDE OUT was a very interesting addition to their catalog. When young Riley m...

Let’s say you went to a yard sale and purchased a thermos.  And when you got home you found $10,000 inside.  Would you return it?  Would you keep it?  That’s the hook to the 2012 drama film STARLET written, produced, and directed by award winning filmmaker Sean Baker.  Yet, this plot device is just the spark of a much bigger story in such a small, little film.  Dree H...

With one of the worst titles in movie history, BABY DRIVER (2017) was released world wide. With such a title many folks thought it was a comedy or a family film and as a result the target audience may have ignored it during its theatrical release (including one of your podcast co-hosts). The film, directed by Edgar Wright, received positive reviews and still was able to make a large profit at the...

Director Scott Cooper is well known for his award nominated films such as CRAZY HEART (2009), OUT OF THE FURNACE (2013), and BLACK MASS (2015). His movies have had their detractors, but generally have been received positively. His last film, 2017’s HOSTILES, was no different. Showing his fluidity, this movie was a Western. Captain Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale) is assigned to escort the pardoned...