John Turturro Archives - Movieman's Guide to the Movies

The Jesus Rolls is the long-awaited spin-off of the popular side character from The Big Lebowski starring John Turturro who also co-scripted and directed, clearly a passion project.

The Big Lebowski has garnered a huge following over the course of 20 years and it’s easy to see why with some easy to quote lines that, often times, relates so well to real life. I’ve never been a huge fan of the movie though have grown to appreciate it over time.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is hardly the high point of action but I must admit that I actually mostly enjoyed this installment possibly because the previous sequel was so bad that it made this film look like Citizen Kane. In any case, once again the visual effects are incredible and the story was at least acceptable.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen takes the action up a notch as sequels do but, somehow, dumbs down the story and makes me not care on bit about any of these characters, mechanical or human.

Transformers is something I more or less hold the same opinion about when I watched it in theaters, 10 years later. It’s not terrible by any stretch and most of the action is well done, but the acting is subpar and the dialogue even worse.

Transformers: The Last Knight is another poor entry into a franchise that just won’t die, though its $605M worldwide gross was the lowest so there is hope. In any case, I didn’t feel this was as bad as Age of Extinction but that’s not saying much.

Hands of Stone isn’t a half-bad boxing drama biopic and yet by the end, I wasn’t exactly connected on any level with the story and outside of some nice performances, there’s not much that stands out.

To Live and Die in L.A. is I think a bit of a forgotten crime-drama from the ‘80s and features a wide array of great performances headlined by William Petersen (though I felt he was better in Manhunter) and Willem Dafoe with some amazing cinematography and a vibrant color palette.

Romance & Cigarettes is an odd ball of a film, a mixture of genres and while I can appreciate what director John Turturro attempted to do, it just didn’t quite work but with a cats like this headlined by the great James Gandolfini, to go along with Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet, might make at least watchable.

State of Grace might not be the most well known drama especially in Sean Penn’s extensive filmography but it is a well done, if not overdrawn, flick worth checking out mainly for the performances especially by Gary Oldman who is at his finest. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time has sufficient audio/video but is limited in the special features department.

Exodus: Gods and Kings had the best of intentions especially in the technical departments from costumes, construction and visual effects, but for all the talk and lengthy running time, it all feels empty, void of any interesting actors not to mention some unintentional humor. The Blu-ray release offered by Fox is pretty basic with an OK commentary track and selection of deleted scenes, but little else given the bulk of features were reserved for the 3D Blu-ray combo pack.

Cars 2 is proof that no studio is perfect and they all have missteps and hopefully this will be Pixar’s only one for the next 10 years. When it comes to the movie itself, there is some charming moments but they are too far and between and usually interrupted by Mater’s annoying persona.

Movieman's Guide to the Movies

The Jesus Rolls Blu-ray Review

The Big Lebowski 4K Ultra HD Review

Transformers: Dark of the Moon 4K + BD Screen Caps

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 4K + BD Screen Caps

Transformers 4K + BD Screen Caps

Transformers: The Last Knight 4K/BD + Screen Caps

Review: Hands of Stone BD + Screen Caps

Review: To Live and Die in L.A. BD + Screen Caps

Review: Romance & Cigarettes BD + Screen Caps

Review: State of Grace BD + Screen Caps

Review: Exodus: Gods and Kings BD + Screen Caps

Review: Transformers – Dark of the Moon BD + Screen Caps

Review: Cars 2 3D BD + Screen Caps