Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Glengarry Glen Ross, after all these years still holds up so well, with sharp, pointed dialogue that only David Mamet can write without coming across as pretentious. Beyond that, top notch performances all around, especially Jack Lemmon.
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Full Moon High was the lesser of the teen werewolf movies that spawned out of the 1980s, taking a backseat to Michael J. Fox’s Teen Wolf, which was released four years later. Even so, there were a few humorous moments and Alan Arkin did a fun job in the lead.
Going in Style is a light-hearted but incredibly fun, and oft funny, movie that excels almost entirely on the cast charms and chemistry with one another as Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin work so well off one another, even when the script isn’t all that creative.
Wait Until Dark is somewhat of a forgotten gem of a thriller with plenty of Hitchcockian elements and features amazing performances by Audrey Hepburn (who receive an Academy Award nomination), Richard Crenna and, especially, Alan Arkin who is absolutely frightening.
No Escape is an all around entertaining film perfect for a Saturday movie night. No, it doesn’t make you think or have any profound performances but the acting isn’t bad with Owen Wilson serving as a fine everyman type of character and Pierce Brosnan in his small part is a lot of fun. This is probably worthy of a rental.
Love the Coopers has an impressive cast but below par script. It’s not all that entertaining despite having the likes of John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Marisa Tomei and Alan Arkin (not to mention Anthony Mackie in a thankless role) and with some snips could easily air on TBS to fill airtime around Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Continue reading “Review: Love the Coopers BD + Screen Caps”
Grudge Match is an affable sports comedy which only works due to the charisma and on-screen status of Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone alongside a nice collection of supporting players including Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin and Kim Basinger, who all contribute so much from a lackluster screenplay.
Argo has plenty of problems with regards to historical accuracies, but even when taking liberties with the story and characters, producer/director Ben Affleck highlights a story not many Americans know about and presents a suspense-thriller with greatly intense moments with a couple standout performances.
Although hardly the perfect comedy, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone still has plenty of laughs going for it. Steve Carell is more or less Michael Scott, and any other character he’s played in his other comedic efforts, but the supporting cast gives good performances and I for one managed to laugh more than a few times and was all around amused by the film.
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Rendition is an OK film shining light on a controversial practice but the drama is overwrought with over-the-top acting especially from Reese Witherspoon who seemed to have taken the role aiming for another Academy Award. But Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin are quite good in their limited roles.
Argo has plenty of problems with regards to historical accuracies, but even when taking liberties with the story and characters, producer/director Ben Affleck highlights a story not many Americans know about and presents a suspense-thriller with greatly intense moments with a couple standout performances.
Indian Summer is a great film that hits all the right notes. It not only brings out the nostalgia for anybody who has attended summer camp but the story is well rounded with the right balance of comedy and drama. The cast is also pitch perfect with the highlights coming from Bill Paxton, Diane Lane and Alan Arkin.