Living for the Cinema

Fifteen years ago, director James Marsh delivered one of the most purely entertaining documentaries of the 21st century recounting one man's amazing journey.....between two skyscrapers....on a wire.  This is the story of Phillip Petit, a French high wire artist who alongside several other conspirators planned and executed the death-defying feat of setting up and then walking on top of a wire...

The kevlar-suited master assassin returns for his fourth (and possibly) final film.   Yes Keanu Reeves has once again returned as the titular John Wick, this time on a mission to seek out his freedom by taking on the "High Table."  He's a man on the run with very few options......but at least he has some necessary allies returning this time as well, once again played by Laurence Fis...

Forty years ago, this low-budget teen comedy featuring a mostly unknown cast was released to little fanfare but it became an instant sleeper hit and it happened to also introduce the world to the unique screen presence of Nicholas Cage who was only 18 during production.  He plays Randy, a bohemian punkish kid from Hollywood who falls hard for the titular girl from the Valley, Julie played by Debor...

Our ongoing series of notable Tom Cruise vehicles from different eras continues, all leading to the release of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I coming this July.  This particular episode focuses on a time in the early '2000's when Cruise was both considered one of the biggest movie stars in the world AND still chasing interesting parts with top-flight directors....this was his f...

Fifteen years ago, Jason Statham was gradually making his mark as one of our most reliable action stars having already headlined two Transporter movies and the first of two Crank movies.  Amidst all of this action insanity, he took a bit of a departure with a more cerebral starring role in this labyrinthine bank heist thriller based on a crazy series of true events occurring in London in 1971.  He...

Four armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a $1 million dollar ransom for the passengers - they are lead by Robert Shaw's Mr. Blue. (That's his codename among the other hijackers) In response, the city's police try to figure out how to respond - they are lead by transit cop Lieutenant Garber played by Walter Matthau.  And what results is a tense action-packed stando...

As we are now in the midst of March Madness, let's revisit one of the more unsung basketball dramas of recent years which happens to feature VERY little actual basketball.  Andre Holland stars as Ray Burke, a hot-shot NBA agent representing an aspiring rookie (Melvin Gregg) who is struggling to figure out what to do with himself as the beginning of his first season is delayed as as a result o...

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, we revisit the 30th anniversary of one of the most memorable dramas recounting one of the darker periods in the ongoing conflict between the Irish and the British in the 20th Century.  This is the unforgettable story of Gerry Conlon, a young man from Belfast who was wrongly convicted and imprisoned for orchestrating the IRA bombing of a British pub in 1974,...

Professional boxing champion Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) returns and this time he MIGHT be facing his toughest opponent.  That would be childhood friend and recent ex-con Damian Anderson played by Jonathan Majors.  Damian might also have more on his mind than just rekindling their friendship as he's apparently focused on one thing....become the new champion. :o What results is one part p...

Twenty-five years ago, the writing/director duo Joel & Ethan Coen released this as the follow-up to their Oscar-winning classic from two years prior, Fargo.  Whereas that film was a tense kidnapping thriller for the most part, the tone of this film was much sillier, filled with jokes related to bowling, nihilism, and White Russians.  As a result, the reception from most critics AND American au...

For the next two weeks, we will be taking a break to get our proverbial batteries recharged - we'll be ok and will be back to releasing new episodes by the beginning of March! ;) In the meantime, feel free to  enjoy this special episode counting down the best films released in 2022....just in time for the Oscars which are coming up soon!  If you would like to hear the full stand-alone episode...

For the next two weeks, we will be taking a break to get our proverbial batteries recharged - we'll be ok and be back to releasing new episodes by the beginning of March! ;)  In the meantime to celebrate President's Day, enjoy this remastered episode reviewing a dizzying '90's epic..... Just over thirty years ago, three-time Oscar Winner Oliver Stone directed one of the most co...

Over the past 40 years since his breakout starring role in the 1983 comedy Risky Business, one of our most enduring movie stars has been Thomas Mapother IV….otherwise known as Tom Cruise.   Over the next several months, I will be revisiting one notable Cruise film each month – each from a different era of his career – culminating with the July 14th release of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning….Pa...

This caps off a trilogy which kicked off in 2012 with the release of Magic Mike which was a surprise international hit - it was directed by Oscar-winner Stephen Soderbergh as a somewhat experimental tribute to male exotic dancers, which was star Channing Tatem's career before becoming an actor.  After having his former editor direct the previous sequel, Soderbergh has return to direct this on...

Valentine's Day is almost upon us and what better time to revisit a romantic comedy from just over twenty years ago?  This one stars Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs as two childhood friends who initially bonded through their love of hip-hop music and have remained best friends through adulthood while also both working in the world of hip-hop.  But now as they both live in New York City, their liv...

M. Night RETURNS....with this latest psychological thriller starring Dave Bautista, Ben Aldridge, and Jonathan Groff among a few others.  A tight-knit family is having a relaxing vacation at a remote cabin when suddenly some one comes knocking....lead by Bautista's Leonard, the visitors are a group of four strangers armed with medieval weapons and a truly uniquely disturbing task for this fam...

RIP to Anna Mae Bullock otherwise known as Tina Tuner who was one of the greatest rock stars to ever perform.  She sold millions of records while selling out thousands of concerts thanks to her powerful voice and legendary musical instincts.  She also performed in just a few select movies including  Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome yet left a memorable impression each time! Tina passed away at the age o...

This was one of 2022's most acclaimed films and is now apparently one of the frontrunners in the current Oscar race. Among its nominees are Todd Field (In the Bedroom, Little Children) for both writing and directing, along with two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett for Best Actress for her memorable performance as the eponymous Lydia Tar.  Tar is a renowned American composer/conductor leading...

Continuing this weeks's run of collaborations between Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro, we are now approaching the 40th Anniversary of likely the most obscure film which they worked on together.  Scorsese returns to direct DeNiro in a completely different sort of role from his more recent tough guy ones in movies like Taxi Driver - this time he plays Rupert Pupkin, an "aspiring comedian...

What can be said about one of THE most iconic movies of the past 50 years which hasn't been said already?   Well you probably know that it was directed by Martin Scorsese, one of our greatest living American filmmakers.  And you probably also know it stars the legendary Robert DeNiro in one of his most iconic roles playing Travis Bickle, the titular taxi driver.  You might also know that it w...

Thirty years ago, this urban thriller came out to mild acclaim and pretty strong box office - it stars one of our biggest stars of the time, Michael Douglas, in what would be one of his most iconic roles generally known as "D-Fens."  He plays a recently divorced, disgruntled former defense engineer stuck in traffic one humid morning in LA when he suddenly decides....that he has just HAD...

Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) takes us through an alt-world origin story for the titular comic book villain from DC Comics.  In this version, he's a struggling comedian/street clown in early '80's Gotham City named Arthur Fleck played by Joachin Phoenix in a role which won him the Oscar for Best Actor.     Three years ago the hype for this movie was deafening, the early accl...

Remember when Hollywood used to release actual THRILLERS focused on real Earth-based things which involved real regular people who didn't wear capes??  Well you don't have to go all the way back to 1979 to find a strong one (as there were many during the '90's) to find one but this might be one of the more memorable ones as it focuses on subject matter which was a hot-button to...

Could this be one of the most influential genre movies of the '70's?  Well if you consider this to be one of the earliest movies to take place over ONE tense night traversing through big city, then the answer is likely yes.  Walter Hill (48 Hours) directed this urban adventure of one young gang (the eponymous Warriors) trying to find their way back home to Coney Island from a violent eve...

As a writer/director, HOW do you follow up one of the most highly acclaimed and influential films of the past several decades?  Well back in 1997, Quentin Tarantino initially disappointed many (myself included) by NOT just giving us a redux of Pulp Fiction which had come out three years prior.  Though as it turns out, he actually gave us one hell of a movie which decades later holds up very well a...