-
Whiplash
What does it take to be great at something? Not just talented. Not just good. Great. That’s the question at the heart of the gripping film Whiplash. Terrence Fletcher thinks he knows the answer. Fletcher, played to Oscar winning perfection, by J.K. Simmons, believes greatness can only be achieved by pushing people past their breaking…
-
Black Sea
“I’m claustrophobic,” declares a character early on in Black Sea. We grin because we know that phobia will be tested to the limits for both the character and us. Claustrophobia is the main draw of submarine movies. Few things send shivers down the spine faster than the thought of floating through blackness in a tin…
-
The Boondock Saints
Cult films are a distinguished breed. The label, typically granted to features that pass through theaters unnoticed only to gain a ripe following on DVD, is characterized by a rabid fan base with a religious devotion to converting the uninitiated. Unfortunately, as those who study cults can attest, the worshiped is not always worthy of…
-
Fiddler on the Roof
I revisited Fiddler on the Roof kicking and screaming. The problem wasn’t musicals; West Side Story is one of my favorite films. The problem was my memories. You see, Fiddler was one of my Grandpa’s most beloved movies, and, bless his heart, he tried on more than one occasion to make it mine. Let’s face…
-
Donnie Darko
Every so often, amidst the swirling array of conventional blockbusters, comes a film that defies description; one able to transcend genres and provide an experience like no other. Donnie Darko is the latest entry in this all too meager list of “out-of-the-box” films where creativity takes precedence over convention; genuine surprise over body count. In…
