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…
Viewing The Lucky One was a very frustrating experience. On one hand, the story (by Will Fetters, based upon the novel by Nicholas “The Notebook” Sparks) is an often compelling tale of love, war and broken and healing hearts. On the other, however, there are so many instances where direction (by Scott Hicks, “Snow Falling…
