Traffic (2000) by Mark Botts “Undone” “The wheel has come full circle…” Winner of four academy awards (including Best Picture and Best Director), Traffic, which was spurred on by a British mini-series, “weaves together three loosely intersecting story-lines into a portrait that, in the end, is less about any of the film’s characters than about [...]

Written and directed by: Terrence Malick Genre: Surrealistic Family Drama Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain For fans of: All those other surrealistic family dramas out there Spoilers: It’s hard to have spoilers for this film, but I will discuss details ONE MINUTE SUMMARY I can do this in less time than a minute. [...]

Though Orson Welles’ filmic masterpiece, Citizen Kane, illustrates his directorial prowess, it stands its ground among contemporary cinema, foremost, because it celebrates and never sacrifices story for visual fireworks. Rather, this paper purports that the cinematic elements in Citizen Kane complement the epic tale. Charles Foster Kane – his ascent to power, and his dissent [...]

Hate crimes? I thought all crimes involved hate. It seems that any group hoists the “hate-crime” flag to seek reparations for damages, imagined or exaggerated. While en route to work a “big” case, Detective Bobby Gold (Mantegna) finds himself saddled down…

This is nothing new. Films and stories have relied on this convention for years: a mild-mannered character endures getting pushed around and eventually shoved into a corner and forced to retaliate in like manner. But, Harry Brown shows us something different, a new perspective…

There’s a fine line between what this movie is about, and what this movie is. It’s about a Canadian woman who sneaks into Afghanistan to find her sister; it is an exploration of Islamic culture and what it does to people, for good or for bad. There are many beautiful images and songs and landscapes to enjoy and from which to learn.

We all grow up wanting to become someone. In my little town in Iowa the police were almost worshiped, and many an overall clad boy wanted to become one of them. In the Paradise Now world, however, the profession that is adored is the suicide bomber. Our two protagonists have been bred to become martyrs. But first they must be trained. This movie is their training day.

Hal Holbrook is an escapee from his retirement home, again. He decided to move back into his home somewhere in country of Tennessee’s plains. The only problem is that his son has rented the house to another family. So now Hal has been betrayed, again.

A seemingly functional family in Denmark comes together to celebrate the father Helge’s 60th birthday. Then the secrets come out, with some very uncomfortable realizations come to light. Then the family must decide how to react, what traditions to keep, and most of all, who to believe.

Monster comes to town, befriends young boy who finds a caring, gentle creature. Military gets wind, and trys to destroy monster. The Iron Giant is not an overly fresh or inventive film, but tells a predictable story in a way that earns its right to be told. Even though we know exactly what is going to happen next, The Iron Giant stands above the crowd (and yes, I just did that).