Friday, February 1 2008

This Sporting Life

By Matt Mazur

Reminiscent of Scorsese’s Raging Bull in its dissection of the primal need of man to hit and be hit, and its brutish character's struggle with misogyny.

Friday, September 23 2005

Gladiator: Extended Edition (2000)

By John G. Nettles

It's a bad sign for your making-of doc when the most interesting folks to listen to are the studio weasels.

Wednesday, September 29 2004

Orca (1977)

By Erich Kuersten

This whale also has special powers, apparently, as he can tell whenever someone is leaning out of Nolan's boat, and so jump right up and swallow him whole.

Tuesday, October 7 2003

Cromwell (1970)

By Lesley Smith

Ken Hughes' portrait of Cromwell allows him to recast the military, particularly its leaders, as betrayed by politicians of all stripes.

Friday, November 29 2002

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

By Cynthia Fuchs

The cruelest of Malfoy's bigotries is directed against lovely, diligent Hermoine.

Thursday, January 24 2002

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

By Cynthia Fuchs

It's exceedingly good to see Luis Guzmán looking so vibrantly out of place in Kevin Reynolds' 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.

Thursday, November 15 2001

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

By Todd R. Ramlow

The makers of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' are banking on the fact that so very many people 'have' read the books, so that the confusion of those Luddites who haven't read them matters very little.

Sunday, January 1 1995

Gladiator (2000)

By Lucas Hilderbrand