To Catch A Thief: there’s fluff and then there’s fluff, Hitchcock-style
Alfred Hitchcock, “To Catch A Thief” (1955) A clever light-hearted comedy crime caper set in southern France, this was one of Grace Kelly’s last films before…
North American Films
Reviews of films made in Canada and United States including all films made by Hollywood.
Fair Game: Naomi Watts wastes her time as an unappealing good-girl CIA agent
Doug Liman, “Fair Game” (2010) Picture Source: Melinda Sue Gordon for Warner Bros Pictures, www.hollywoodchicago.com A few weeks ago (early December 2010), I went to a…
The Kite Runner: tear-jerker with weak plot and unappealing hero
Marc Forster, “The Kite Runner” (2006) Based on a best-selling novel by Afghan writer Khaled Hosseini, this is a picturesque film of childhood friendship that for…
Rear Window: clever Hitchcock suspense film turns the tables on viewers as passive spectators
Alfred Hitchcock, “Rear Window” (1954) From the days when Hollywood occasionally made films that featured rich sub-text and challenged audiences to question their role as viewers comes this…
Winter’s Bone: flimsy plot backgrounded by real poverty and catastrophic social problems
Debra Granik, “Winter’s Bone” (2010) Source: www.mirror.co.uk Meet Ree Dolly: she’s a 17-year-old girl caring for her severely depressed mom and two younger siblings, Sonny and Ashlee, on…
Let Me In: Reeves “lets the right one in” to smother his version’s potential
Matt Reeves, “Let Me In”, Hammer Films / Overture Films (2010) Once upon a time about 25 years ago in a small town somewhere in Reagan-era America, there was…
Rosemary’s Baby: does it reflect women’s oppression by modern life?
Roman Polanski, “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968) Who doesn’t envy young couples these days who dream of having a nice 3-bedroom house or apartment in the city close to…
Eyes Wide Shut: style wins over substance
Stanley Kubrick, “Eyes Wide Shut”, (1999) I saw this movie ten years ago as there’d been a lot of hype about it featuring Tom Cruise and Nicole…
Splice: spliced-together movie unravelling at the joins
Vincenzo Natali, “Splice”, Dark Castle Entertainment (2010) Fans of former Oscar Best Actor winner Adrien Brody must be wondering how their man came to be slumming it…
The Hunger: glossy and glamorous but in need of a remake anyway
Tony Scott, “The Hunger” (1983) One of a number of 1980s-made movies in the remake production line, this glossy flick was Tony Scott’s directorial debut about…