Foxcatcher, based on the real-life events surrounding the relationship between billionaire John E. du Pont and Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz, is a plodding, tone-deaf snoozer. The cast tries very hard to make things work, sometimes too hard. Even worse, all that made the true story so weirdly compelling in the first place is lost in…
The makeup may not look the best, but the early buzz says the acting by the three main players is in Sony Pictures’ biographical drama, Foxcatcher. Based on a true story, it chronicles the highs and the very lows of the relationship between brothers and Olympic Wrestling Champions Mark and Dave Schultz (Channing Tatum and…
Well now I’ve seen it all. In Warner Bros. upcoming sporting comedy, Grudge Match two 70-year old men are putting on the gloves and duking it out in the ring. Okay, technically only one of them is 70 (that being Robert De Niro) and the other, Sylvester Stallone, is only a sprite 67 but you…
Formula 1 isn’t often considered movie material for two main reasons: Firstly, recreating such high-speed action in a way that’s even close to reality is incredibly difficult, and secondly, these races last somewhere around 60 laps, and mainstream audiences aren’t going to pay just to see fake cars zoom around fake laps when they could…
Making a film based upon an iconic figure, such as Lincoln or Gandhi, forces one to walk a thin line between legend and humanization. How do we show the warts (no pun intended in Honest Abe’s case) and foibles and yet still uphold the impeccable character of the subject. Such was the task of writer/director…
To be blunt and to the point, the best surfing film is “The Endless Summer,” maybe followed by “Big Wednesday.” The heart-tugging “Soul Surfer” may also be your cup of tea, as well. Unfortunately, Chasing Mavericks is not among the genre’s Top 10 (if there is even enough to even MAKE a Top 10). In…
North Memphis looks rough. Its houses are collapsing, its public infrastructure is crumbling, and its prospects on the horizon look like its bringing more of the same. Undefeated says life in North Memphis was not always like this, but once the Firestone plant closed and took the jobs away, this part of the city was…
