“The Raid 2: Berandal” Directed by Gareth Evans Starring Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Yayan Ruhian, Donny Alamsyah, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusodewo, Arifin Putra Action, Crime, Thriller 148 Mins IndonesiaR To try to boil down what is so sublimely excellent about The Raid 2: Berandal is a futile exercise in tilting at windmills. It’s like boxing...
“Cesar Chavez” Directed by Diego Luna Starring Michael Pena, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich, America Herrera, Kevin Dunn, Mark Moses, Michael Cudlitz Biography PG-13 For a biopic about a man with steely resolve and an unflinching soul, Cesar Chavez lacks the laser focus and steadfast heartbeat of an exemplar, or even a worthy apprentice. It’s a...
“Bad Words” Directed by Jason Bateman Starring Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Philip Baker Hall, Allison Janney, Steve Witting Comedy 88 Mins R Jason Bateman‘s directorial debut, Bad Words, is aptly congruously to his post-Arrested Development career. That is, it’s no good. Like Identity Thief and The Change-Up before it, Bateman has proved that...
“The Infinite Man”Directed by Hugh SullivanStarring Josh McConville, Hannah Marshall, Alex DimitriadesComedy, Sci-FiAustralia Equal helpings cerebral sci-fi and deadpan comedy, The Infinite Man is independent cinema at its most rewarding. Chartering a high-strung scientist whose well-intentioned attempts to create the perfect anniversary weekend goes horribly awry, director Hugh Sullivan‘s film at first seems narratively minimalist...
A through line for the piece emerges as Sherman becomes the target of a full-blown tease assualt. Classmate and eventual crush, Penny, labels him a "dog", with all the negative…
We've come a long way since the visual effects of 300 were groundbreaking and eight years later, Rise looks like the same crew using the same computers and same effects.…
This week brought a handful of screenings including the better than expected Non-Stop and Russian 3D epic Stalingrad, which likely won’t be seen by many Americans. I also caught an early press screening of The Raid 2 (holy hell is it good) but won’t be able to offer my full thoughts on that until I...
Having already caught a bit of early flack from critics stateside, I have a sneaking suspicion that one's willingness to accept this will depend largely on demographics. Girls are somewhat…
We've all got a "Love Power:" our own figure in the light, our symbol for hope and security that we keep deep inside. Connecting with that figure in the light…
While most of the film's logic can be punted through with the mention of a black box, it's not one of those omnipresent nags that won't allow you to enjoy…