Pompeii Review

79 A.D was a very bad year for the city of Pompeii. One of the worst natural disasters of the ancient world occurred as a killer Volcano named Vesuvius erupted and wiped out thousands upon thousands of lives. So now I guess enough time has passed to attempt to turn that tragedy into a silly romantic popcorn movie. I’m game anyway. Too bad that trashy … Continue reading Pompeii Review

Leaving Las Vegas

Leaving Las Vegas Review

Ben is a divorced screenwriter, recently fired, who has given up on life altogether. A chronic alcoholic, he has decided to take what money he has left and go to Vegas where he plans on drinking himself into an oblivion. Along the way he meets a Vegas hooker named Sera (Elizabeth Shoe) who takes pity on him, and he on her, and they begin a … Continue reading Leaving Las Vegas Review

Winter's Tale

Winter’s Tale Review

Here’s the main thing that bothered me at the end of Winter’s Tale. How in the hell did Russell Crowe and Colin Farrell get drawn into what is essentially Twilight for history buffs? This movie is helmed by Akiva Goldsman, an uneven director in the past who has given us both the wonderful ‘Cinderella Man’ and the ambulance chasing would be cash cow “The Da … Continue reading Winter’s Tale Review

Before Midnight

Before Midnight Review

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reprise their roles as the love-struck couple of Jesse and Celine here in this third installment of Richard Linklater’s “Before” series. Before we get into anything else, as expected, Hawke and Delpy continue to have astonishing chemistry together and are both very fine actors who deliver knockout performances here. In the previous two movies, they were still getting to know … Continue reading Before Midnight Review

Before Sunset

Before Sunset Review

Before Sunrise begged the question, would you be willing to alter your entire life around one fateful night’s chance meeting? In that movie two twenty something’s met-cute on a train, wandered the streets of Vienna, and fell in love all the while walking and (endlessly) talking about everything under the sun. This movie asks basically the same question now that these two reconnect ten years … Continue reading Before Sunset Review

Casablanca Review

It has been months since I last posted an edition of the once weekly Classic Cinema Wednesday review series, and now really does seem like the perfect time to bring the series back (albeit not weekly) with the 11th installment. Why is it the perfect time? Well it’s quite simple; I have finally watched that other film that many people consider to be the finest … Continue reading Casablanca Review

Safety Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed Review

Darius, a young fresh faced intern at a large upscale Seattle magazine, along with her fellow intern, a college student and very serious young Indian teenage named Arnau, volunteers to go help Jeff, a senior writer at their publication, find the man who submitted the above classified ad in order to do a humorous and altogether sardonic and sarcastic piece for their next issue. Jeff, … Continue reading Safety Not Guaranteed Review

Fool's Gold

Fool’s Gold Review

The How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days pair, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, team up again in this romantic-comedy. This time around, the duo play a divorced couple out on one last quest to find treasure buried at sea since 1715. McConaughey portrays Ben Finnegan, a child-at-heart surfer who has an obsession with finding the 18th century treasure. Hudson stars as his ex-wife, … Continue reading Fool’s Gold Review

(500) Days of Summer Review

This is not a love story, or so the tagline goes. It’s also not a chick flick, which in this instance works for the films benefit. (500) Days of Summer is a romantic-comedy that is completely different from every other film in the genre, and that fact makes the movie worth watching and much more realistic. It’s the story of Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and … Continue reading (500) Days of Summer Review

Titanic

Titanic Review

You know the story. A poor guy (Leonard DiCaprio) wins a ticket onto the “unsinkable” monster of luxury, Titanic, and then falls in love with the mentally and emotionally lost rich girl (Kate Winslet). They run the whole gauntlet to be together, which includes a snobbish mother (Frances Fisher), a spoiled rich boyfriend (Billy Zane), and oh yeah, a sinking ship (Titanic). All to be … Continue reading Titanic Review