August 2013 Movie Guide

AUGUST 2, 2013 2 GUNS Starring: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton Why You Should See It: Because Denzel almost always delivers.Why You Should Avoid It: Because Mark Wahlberg in a serious role is a hit-or-miss proposition. And the Magic 8 Ball Says: Flip a coin. THE SPECTACULAR NOW Starring: Shailene Woodley, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miles Teller, Brie Larson Why You Should See It: Mary...

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Review: The Way Way Back

It’s been an interesting year at the theater and not necessarily in a good way.  To say that the slate has been pretty lean would be an understatement.  There have been some big blockbusters that I’ve really enjoyed (Man of Steel, Star Trek Into Darkness) and a few pleasant surprises (The Conjuring, Warm Bodies), but I had yet to find something that I thought would receive awards season recognition.  That is, until...

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Review: The Conjuring

If you’ve never heard of director James Wan, then you are probably not a fan of horror movies.  He, of Saw and Insidious fame, is slated to direct the seventh installment of the Fast & Furious franchise where he is sure to gain a lot more mainstream notoriety.  But before departing the genre in which he made his mark, he has delivered yet another an edge-of-your-seat narrative in The Conjuring – a movie whose slick trailers...

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Rental Rewind: 2001

It was the year 2001, when Time Magazine named Rudolph Giuliani the Man of the Year for his post 9/11 presence in New York City.  Beyonce was still fronting Destiny’s Child and Janet Jackson’s All for You dominated the summer music charts.  It was a very difficult year in sports as the Baltimore Ravens won the most uneventful Super Bowl in recent memory and the Los Angeles Lakers and Duke Blue Devils ruled the basketball landscape.  Still,...

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Review: The Heat

The formula works.  The mismatched partners / buddy comedy routine is as tried and true as any cinematic paradigm.  You could dedicate a whole blog with hundreds of posts to waxing poetic about the countless films that have successfully worked this theme.  And while this brand of narrative has occasionally featured women, this sphere has for the most part been dominated by male protagonists.  In a lot of ways,...

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Rental Rewind: 2000

It was the year 2000, when computers worldwide were supposed to crash, but never did, and George W. Bush was Time Magazine’s Man of the Year.  Santana featuring Rob Thomas rocked the airwaves and JT was still the front man for N’SYNC.  It was a rough year in sports as the New York Yankees won the World Series, the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship, and Tiger Woods was still winning majors.  But it wasn’t all bad in the sphere...

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Review: 42

As a kid, I was a huge fan of baseball – the type of fan who could recite statistics and imitate batting stances.  When I was in the fourth grade, I found a book in the school library that told the Jackie Robinson story and I immediately fell in love with it.  The book was hardcover bound with colorful albeit simplistic illustrations to accompany the large print.  That the book was written for kids, should give you...

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