New Satire “Greed” Misses the Mark

Throughout years of film criticism, it has become cliché to say that a film “defies categorization” in reference to genre. Many times, the greatest films of this nature find a way to weave together distinct tones and elements from a wide array of classifications, developing something truly unique and memorable. Unfortunately, in other situations, the […]

UNCUT GEMS – Anxiety-Inducing and Oscar-Worthy

Chances are, if you have heard anything about UNCUT GEMS, from co-writers and directors Benny and Josh Safdie, it’s that you may very well have a panic attack while watching it. I am here to say that this motion picture absolutely lives up to the hype. I watched this film by myself, with nobody around […]

BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE – Bad Times, but Good Filmmaking

BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE – Written and Directed by Drew Goddard I’m honestly still disappointed that this wonderful piece of art was overlooked during awards season. Certainly one of the most original films of 2018 – and of the decade, for that matter. A Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination would have been justifiable, […]

Carlito’s Way – We Need to Find a “Way” to Make Films Like This Again

This movie could have just ended after Al Pacino’s monologue in the courtroom opening, and it would have been perfect. Incredibly, it kept going for another 2 hours, and added even more filmmaking mastery with each passing minute. I do not recall ever seeing a film make such consistent, immaculate use of extended, uncut tracking […]

Writer/director Jason Cabell draws from personal experience to create crime thriller “Running with the Devil”.

The crime thriller genre has been explored thousands of times, with many different approaches, throughout the history of cinema. Some of the best directors in this category, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma, and Michael Mann, have continued to develop methods of cultivating fresh and original crime features, while still maintaining […]