— by RON WILKINSON and BEV QUESTAD — Note to the reader: This review is written by two IJM authors, exchanging decidedly different points of view. Although the format probably is different than you are used to, we hope you enjoy it. Is this a sentimental documentary erring on the side of[...]
Archive for September, 2013
Review: The Trials of Muhammad Ali
— by RON WILKINSON — “The Trials of Muhammad Ali” will make you laugh, cry, cringe in embarrassment and cheer at the end. The latest in a series of (too) many Ali films, Bill Siegel’s peon to the puncher also walks the thin line between exploitation and exhilaration. In the end, ex[...]
Review: The Family
— by JAMES SHAW — It can be difficult to be very good at acting because there are several factors that can affect your performance, including the script, the rest of the cast, the director and the editor. Robert De Niro is a seasoned actor who obviously has had a great career thus far an[...]
Loki poster for Thor: The Dark World
— by ADAM POYNTER — “Thor: The Dark World” is one of the films I am really looking forward to seeing this year. Chris Hemsworth is the embodiment of the character, starting with his star-making performance in “Thor” back in 2011. And his return in last year’s “Marvel’s The [...]
Review: Insidious: Chapter 2
— by JAMES SHAW — The problem with an original horror movie is that if it is deemed successful, the studio will make another movie and, in some instances, many more movies. Unfortunately, 90 percent of those sequels are not nearly as good because the concept is nothing new. Movies that s[...]
RoboCop: First Teaser Trailer
— by ADAM POYNTER — After years of online debates, countless rumors, and a multitude of setbacks and hold-ups, the new “RoboCop” reboot has been made. Directed by documentary filmmaker José Padilha, and written by a group of men responsible for “Gran Torino,” “The Amazing Spid[...]
Review: Don Jon
— by JAMES SHAW — “Don Jon” was written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt – who also stars in the movie – and I must give Gordon-Levitt a standing ovation because he has connected with both men and women on the topic of sex, which is very hard to do. Sex is a topic tha[...]
Review: Mission Park
— by BEV QUESTAD and RON WILKINSON — “Deception has no friend.” A voice adds, “We grew up soldiers around here. Most don’t make it past 24. But I never thought it would come to this.” “Mission Park” begins with four friends as young boys around 11 years old. At that[...]
Review: Riddick
— by ADAM DALE — Nearly 10 years after we have last seen the character, and 13 years since he first appeared onscreen, Vin Diesel is back in the role that was his first lead role in Hollywood: Richard B. Riddick. Continuing on in the “Chronicles of Riddick” franchise, Vin Diesel is p[...]
Interview: Filmmaker Katherine Brooks
— by JESSIKA OWENS — Mental illness in film and TV is not uncommon. Mental illness done accurately is not so common. But that’s not to say that there aren’t some brilliant performances caught on film. Edward Norton in “Primal Fear” portrayed an imprisoned man sufferin[...]
The best and worst of 2013 so far …
— by JAMES SHAW — I have been fortunate enough to attend advanced screenings of 100 movies from January through August, and as always, there were several movies that were remarkable, and others that were easily forgettable. As a new writer for It’s Just Movies, I though my list of [...]
Review: Out of the Clear Blue Sky
— by BEV QUESTAD and RON WILKINSON — Note to the reader: This review is written by two IJM authors, exchanging decidedly different points of view. Although the format probably is different than you are used to, we hope you enjoy it. Is this a sentimental documentary erring on the side of[...]
Review: Money for Nothing
— by BEV QUESTAD — “This is a scary movie and no one should see it.” These are the words of Mary Eterno, economics buff and go-to person for financial matters. Bill Fleckenstein (MSN Money) calls it “a horror movie for smart people.” In this info-doc producer/director Jim Bruce g[...]
Review: The Otherside
— by RON WILKINSON — Hip Hop has gotten a bad rap (no pun intended). Initially invented as an angry reaction to the police brutality and institutionalized poverty and imprisonment of New York’s Bronx in the 1970s, it has emerged as a viable audio art form that actually appeals to some [...]