It’s safe to assume that Judd Apatow has the market cornered on raunch-fest comedies with a gooey moral center. Since releasing The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Apatow’s actors have gone on to produce their own films, ranging from great (Superbad) to less-than-great (The Green Hornet). This Is the End, written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, falls squarely in the middle of that spectrum. Like a comedy-version of Soderberg’s Ocean’s Eleven, the film succeeds on the chemistry of its cast, whose madcap performances liven up the mediocre material. Read more
Tag Archive for James Franco
THE ICEMAN (Blu-Ray Review)
There’s a danger in adapting a true story for the screen. For an audience that’s been weened on the traditional, three-act Hollywood film, it would be a frustrating, fruitless experience to watch a literal adaptation of someone’s life. Real lives don’t have neat dramatic arcs. Real people tend not to learn their lessons. Somewhere along the line, liberties must be taken. Events are shuffled and condensed. Characters are cut and composited. All in an effort to give structure to what seems like chaos. So, how much of that story stays true? It’s an intriguing question. Fortunately, The Iceman is so engrossing, you won’t have time to think of it. Read more
Oz The Great And Powerful (Film Review)
Pretty much every red-blooded American child has seen the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz”. It’s almost like going Trick or Treating or drinking a Coke. It’s unforgettable music and unbridled imagination has made it a cultural staple for young and old. Maybe that’s why anything in the form of a prequel, a sequel, a reboot or a “reimagining” would be met with harsh skepticism. I mean, remember “New Coke”? Well on March 8, Disney, a company very familiar with retelling classic children’s tales, treads on hallowed ground with “Oz the Great and Powerful”. Flush with mouse money, this prequel comes loaded with special effects and big names, but can director Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead”, “Spiderman”) deliver a quality story to win over the tiny hearts and boundless minds of children everywhere? Read more