In one of the weakest years in memory, not just for performances but for great films, 2001 saw Denzel Washington and Halle Berry knock “two birds out with one stone,” as the former declared on Oscar night, as two African Americans won the top acting prizes for the first time ever.  And it was difficult […]

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Short of seeking or citing any legitimate critical opinion, the marketing team behind “RocknRolla,” the fifth feature from Guy Ritchie, have gone to much effort to portray it as a creative comeback for the much-maligned filmmaker. Here in the UK, the words “return to form” are splashed prominently across billboards for the film (set to […]

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I have to admit, I was looking forward to “Valkyrie,” Bryan Singer’s film about the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944. Yes, I’m aware that the film stars Tom Cruise, but the remaining cast, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Wilkinson was intriguing. The film also re-united Singer with Christopher McQuarrie, his screenwriter from […]

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I’m starting to wonder if a 7-part mini-series was the best way to go on “John Adams.” While there were some great moments with Tom Wilikinson in last night’s third installment, I have to confess, it was largely boring on the whole. Who would go back and re-watch something that tedious? The history, thankfully, was […]

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I must say, I’m slightly agitated by the approach HBO’s latest mini-series, “John Adams,” seems to be taking. Granted one cannot build a 7-part event around a hero too clearly flawed, but the fact remains that Adams wasn’t exactly the most noble of our founding fathers. Being a journalist, I can’t personally celebrate he of […]

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