Move Review: The Master
Read MoreWhat desperate individuals would willingly expose themselves to such delusions? Who would voluntarily sit through such a carnival of madness?
The Best Poker Movie Scenes of All-Time
Read MoreWhen it comes to poker, conveying realism in film is a challenge.
Poker’s essence and intensity are difficult to capture. Its subtleties are invisible to the naked eye.
In real life, most of the time, poker players sit around. They say nothing. They do nothing. There’s little or no action. The game can be wickedly dull — not just to watch but to play. That’s not exactly the cinematic backdrop you want for a great movie.
For this reason, films have a tendency to amplify confrontation. Key hands are wildly exaggerated. Real high-stakes poker games and major tournaments are often won with ace high or a single pair. But in the movies, straight flushes typically steamroll full-houses.
And the Oscar for “Best Picture” Goes to….
Read MoreAnd the Oscar for “Best Picture” goes to…
Nobody.
That’s the announcement that should be made to what would be a stunned audience, come Academy Awards night.
Hey, Hollywood — do us all a favor. Take a hint from the Baseball Hall of Fame playbook this year — which inducted exactly zero players into their coveted chamber. That’s because (arguably) no one really deserved to get in. And that’s precisely what should happen in your industry when you honor the year’s cinematic achievements on February 24th — with half-a-billion people watching worldwide.
Movie Review: Skyfall (James Bond)
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe that fifty years have passed since we first met James Bond in his 1962 debut, Dr. No.
Movie Review — Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D
About a half hour into Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D my wife leaned over to me and blurted out, “Are you as bored with this as I am?”
Frankly, I wasn’t. By that point, my boredom had turned into annoyance.
Things went downhill from there.
Another scene or two passed and our mutual annoyance metastasized even further — into unconditional surrender. We had enough. But the cinematic Rubicon was passed.
In the final scenes towards the end of an overly-long 85-minute test of patience, I found myself talking back at the movie screen mocking the performers, oblivious to those within earshot around me. I didn’t mean to cause a disturbance, but no one else seemed to care. Needless to say, we departed the theater in a fit of rage and disappointment.
This movie should never have been made. It’s a testament to the old edict that if you’re going to do something, then do it right — or don’t attempt it at all.
How in the name of James Cameron — who produced this monumental mess (this one sinks faster than Titanic) — do you screw up something as spectacular as Cirque du Soleil? Who would have thought trivializing death-defying stunts was possible? It’s baffling to imagine a production blessed with many of the world’s most gifted performers, with such an impressive array of set designs and costumes, and some of the most innovative music ever recorded could induce a mass slumber.
How bad was it? For those who have visited the Las Vegas airport, recall the jumbo screen inside the baggage claim area. Think of the 45-second video clips from one show after another. Imagine that highlight reel repeated over and over and over again and then compiled into an full-length motion picture. Indeed, the comparison of waiting for bags at an airport might be appropriate here, except there’s actual suspense in waiting for one’s luggage. There’s no such drama in this montage of monotony.
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