— by RON WILKINSON — Writer/director Can Evrenol’s narrative feature debut is a force to be reckoned with. While much of the world has moved on to more sanitized, socially acceptable horror, Evrenol goes back to the basics. Eye gouging, jugular vein blood squirting, zombie half born mu[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
— by RON WILKINSON — Zack Snyder roars back with a superhero brawl that combines a blasting Wagnerian soundtrack with World Wrestling Federation slap downs. Significant plot? Do not count on it. The philosophical underpinnings of this match made in Hollywood are murky, but the action is [...]
Review: Fireworks Wednesday
— by RON WILKINSON — Asghar Farhadi’s “Fireworks Wednesday” features several kinds of fireworks converging on the naïve young bride Rouhi. Taraneh Alidoosti reunites with Farhadi after her successful work in “About Elly” to play the very young, and very much in love, Rouhi. Th[...]
Review: Embrace of the Serpent
— by RON WILKINSON — “Embrace of the Serpent,” writer/director Ciro Guerra’s seething portrait of the abasement of a people and an environment, is not to be missed. Based on the written diaries of explorers Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes, the film combines[...]
Review: The Finest Hours
— by RON WILKINSON — In “The Finest Hours,” Chris Pine does a fantastic job playing the sheepish, but inwardly courageous, Coast Guard Bosun’s Mate Bernard “Bernie” Webber, who is stationed in Chatham, Mass., on Cape Cod. Bernie is a good man, but is haunted by [...]
Review: Eddie the Eagle
— by RON WILKINSON — If this take on Eddie the Eagle (Michael “Eddie” Edwards) is exaggerated to the point of absurdity, the superb performance of Taron Egerton makes it work. This may become the breakout performance for Egerton, showing he can do the touchy-feely role as wel[...]
Review: A War (aka Krigen)
— by RON WILKINSON — “A War” — Denmark’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film in the 88th Academy Awards of 2016 — is a momentous movie. Not only does it show the lethal chaos and brutality of war with unflinching honesty, but it shows the war sold[...]
Review: Hail, Caesar!
— by RON WILKINSON — George Clooney does the heavy lifting in “Hail, Caesar!,” backed by an elite cast of sparkling supporting actors and perfect production. Shot in 35mm, the film is a remarkable throwback to the “glory years” of 1950s Hollywood when a star was really a [...]
Review: A Perfect Day
— by RON WILKINSON — Benicio Del Toro and Tim Robbins have done better things. Having won two Oscars between them and been nominated for two more, this screenplay is light weight for them. The treatment seems to be perpetually caught between “Mash” and “Hurt Locker” with nods to [...]
Review: Mojave
— by RON WILKINSON — Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac plays self-destructive movie star/film-maker Jack in “Mojave,” Oscar winner William Monahan’s pot-boiling tale of murder and survival. This is a great performance by Isaac, coming on the heels of his city slicker flicks [...]
Review: Bleak Street
— by RON WILKINSON — Now, for the most uncomfortable film of the year award, the winner is “Bleak Street” by Arturo Ripstein. The “master of the Mexican bizarre” sets a high bar in this saga of poverty, crime and depravity and clears it by a mile. Shot in beautiful black-and-whit[...]
Review: Western
— by RON WILKINSON — “Western” is the poignant story of a traditional, peaceful and productive way of life ripped apart by drugs and politicians. Directors Bill and Turner Ross take us into hearts and minds of the people of Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Celeb[...]
Review: The Revenant
— by RON WILKINSON — Following up his Oscar powerhouse “Birdman” with this rough and ready thriller seems like a non sequitur for director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. The film has been in the works for about 15 years and the project had already burned through at least two director[...]
Review: The Forest
— by RON WILKINSON — Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones,” “The Tudors” TV series) does most of the heavy lifting as Sara. In the opening scenes Sara’s sister Jess is having a tough time in a remote area of Japan’s forest at the base of Mt. Fuji. This is not hard to believe sinc[...]