The Coen brothers did not suffer from the sophomore slump as their second film, Raising Arizona, is a complete 180 from their first. My rewatch of Raising Arizona over the past weekend was my first viewing in just over 15 years. I went back to my original notes from the 2009 viewing in which I wrote that it was funnier than Fargo. To be fair, the AFI 100 Years, 100 Laughs list has this film…
"Raising Arizona: Coens Go For Humor in Second Film"Tag: John Goodman
The Monuments Men sees George Clooney and company tasked with tracking down artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War II. After 2008’s Leatherheads, Clooney took a brief break from period films to write, direct and star in The Ides of March. After that, he went back to the past for another period piece. This time around, he gathered an ensemble cast to hunt stolen artwork in a film that is based on a true…
"The Monuments Men – A George Clooney Retrospective"
The Coen Brothers transport us back in time to the 1960s folk music scene in their 2013 smart and funny masterpiece, Inside Llewyn Davis. I’m writing this review while listening to the Cannes press conference following the film’s premiere in May 2013. Not that it has anything to do with the film–other then the Coens being Jewish–but there was a question from a German TV reporter about humor in Germany and whether it was German…
"Inside Llewyn Davis: Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece"
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a genius 1930s Mississippi satire that is both heavy in folk music and uses the Odyssey for its plot. In a perfect world, I would have reviewed the Coen Brothers classic for its 20th anniversary in 2020. I apologize for missing the anniversary but am rectifying the situation now as I kick off something of a George Clooney retrospective series on Solzy at the Movies. I reviewed a number…
"O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece"
Ten years after its theatrical release, the Oscar-nominated Flight still holds up as Denzel Washington turns in one of his best performances. Veteran airline pilot Captain William “Whip” Whitaker (Denzel Washington) crash lands a MD-80 series aircraft and somehow survives the event. It’s a miracle that even made it beyond the departure, what with a storm and all. After that, things went from a sigh of relief to G-d help us all in a matter…
"Flight Holds Up Ten Years Later"
Trouble with the Curve is still a charming baseball movie in watching the film a few months after it marked its tenth anniversary. The film marked the directorial debut for Clint Eastwood’s longtime producing partner, Robert Lorenz. If you want my opinion, the director is in there with a stand-up triple. While the film isn’t Eastwood’s final acting role, it’s one of his last roles on screen and honestly, you couldn’t ask for more. Plus,…
"Trouble with The Curve Still Charms 10 Years Later"
Evan Almighty, a contemporary retelling of Noah’s Ark and the flood, marked the 15th anniversary of its release during the summer. I missed the 15th anniversary of the comedy this past summer so I figured to watch the film after Parashat Noach was read in shuls across the globe. For my non-Jewish readers, a parashat is the weekly Torah reading that Jews read every Shabbos morning in shul. Prior to Shabbos morning services, a portion…
"Evan Almighty: Contemporary Noah’s Ark Comedy at 15 Years"
Monsters at Work starts the day after Monstropolis decided to go after laughter rather than power their city by scaring children. A number of Monsters Inc. veterans return including Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman). However, we’re introduced to some new monsters including the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team (MIFT). While Mike and Sulley are series regulars, they’re not particularly the main stars of the series. No, this honor belongs to new Monsters University graduate…
"Monsters at Work: It’s Laughter We’re After"
Always departs from the rest of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s filmography in that the film goes for sentimentality more than anything else. It’s not uncommon for Spielberg to release multiple films in the same year. The summer saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. While there is some nice action in the aerial scenes in Always, the two films couldn’t be further apart. Maybe this is why it has taken me until now to watch Always. …
"Always: My Least Favorite Steven Spielberg Film"
Argo tells an incredibly true story of how the CIA used a fake science-fiction film to rescue six American diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis. “This is the best bad idea we have, sir,” Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston) tells C.I.A Director Stansfield Turner (Phillip Baker Hall). “By far.” The best bad idea not only saves six American lives but manages to win an Oscar. A few of them, actually. The fact that the CIA turns…
"Argo: This Is The Best Bad Idea We Have"