Some, including me, would say the original Chan-wook Park “Oldboy” has no business being remade. But then again, maybe Spike Lee is on to something as the redband trailer for the remake, which was released today by FilmDistrict, actually looks good. For those not in the know, this brutal revenge tale focuses on a man…
Some years ago I learned 1930s and ’40s era gangsters learned to talk “gangster” from the motion pictures. James Cagney probably had more to do with coining gangster lingo and slang than John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, and Al Capone combined. Gangster Squad gets the clothes right, does a decent job with 1949 era Los…
Just what we need — a good old fashioned gangster flick to heat up the cooling autumn days. Warner Bros’ Gangster Squad chronicles the battle between Los Angeles cops and the East Coast Mafia looking to establish a presence in the city. It’s set in the 1950s, and if the trailer is any indication, there’s…
What I loved about 1997’s “Men in Black” was it embraced its own corniness. The aliens were over-the-top and blew up like Jello molds; the sets had a distinct comic book feel to them; and the story balanced workplace comedy with fantastical backdrops. The style worked, propelling the film to financial and critical greatness. But…
Men in Black 3 is looking better than I anticipated. I was quietly concerned the premise had worn out its welcome, but the new trailer released today by Columbia Pictures looks fresh and fun. Will Smith as agent J is slick as ever and Josh Brolin as the young agent K makes a fine straight…
How does one inject new life into a successful franchise that has laid dormant for nine years? In the case of Men in Black 3, the answer is to introduce time travel! In this installment, agent J goes back in time to work with a younger agent K to uncover deeply guarded secrets pertinent to…
Henry Hathaway’s 1969 film True Grit is the definitive spaghetti western: A rowdy tale of three mismatched Western flavors that travel together in hopes of capturing Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), a man wanted for two counts of murder — one for a loving father, Frank Ross, who Chaney kills following a debacle at the poker-table…
