Life is not what it seems for a small-town California barber in the Coen brothers’ 2001 film noir, The Man Who Wasn’t There. Even this is a film noir, the Coens bring their own ideas into the genre. It’s not your typical film noir. The lead character does not intentionally set out to commit any crime. It just kind of happens. But if you read any of James M. Cain’s work, you’ll find characters behaving…
"The Man Who Wasn’t There: A Film Noir"Tag: Richard Jenkins
Intolerable Cruelty, the Coen brothers vehicle starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, marked its 20th anniversary in October. My apologies for getting to this anniversary review so late. My schedule was initially hectic because of the holidays and then October 7 happened. Better late than never as they say. The gist of the film is that divorce attorney Miles Massey (George Clooney) and gold digger Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) fall for each other. Ironically, Miles…
"Intolerable Cruelty Celebrates 20 Years And Still Captivates Audiences"
Adam McKay’s Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, marks the 15th anniversary since its theatrical release in 2008. When one looks at the Judd Apatow-produced films in the 00s, Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) are signature man-children. Both adult children are still living at home with their parents. Neither one of them enjoy the idea of becoming step brothers. There are times when they’re bonding over things…
"Step Brothers Marks 15th Anniversary"
The Core may be among the worst disaster thrillers as far as realism is concerned but the the film’s cast keeps it entertaining. I had hoped to watch the film in time for its 20th anniversary in March. Unfortunately, Paramount Home Entertainment did not make the 4K UHD release available for review. Had they done so, I’d have worked with a terrible depression to try my best to get a viewing in. As such, I…
"The Core: A Delayed 20th Anniversary Viewing"
Friends with Benefits brings nothing new to the romantic comedy genre but it’s so much fun watching Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. Volcanoes in 1997. Planet-killing meteors in 1998. Friends with benefits in 2011. Funny enough both films featured the stars of 2010’s Black Swan. Mila Kunis’s Black Swan castmate was seen just over six months earlier in No Strings Attached. Both films were being made at the same time. It’s just unfortunate that there…
"Friends with Benefits Is Fun To Watch"
The entire basis for Rumor Has It… is that a woman learns that both her mother and grandmother were the basis for 1967’s The Graduate. Following the end of Sundance, I was in the mood for a comedy and decided to rewatch this film for the first time since the theatrical release. The fact of the matter is that this film has a solid amount of laughs and laughs are so desperately needed right now.…
"Rumor Has It… Is Still Funny Over 16 Years Later"
Guillermo del Toro shies away from the supernatural to present an updated take on Nightmare Alley in this noir thriller. The gist of the film is that Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) befriends a clairvoyant Zeena Krumbein (Toni Collette) and her mentalist husband, Pete Krumbein (David Strathairn), at a traveling carnival. Stanton takes advantage of what he learns to break free of the carnival alongside Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara). Before you know it, he’s conning the…
"Nightmare Alley: A Noir Thriller"
The Coen brothers find a way to mix both political thriller and dark comedy in Burn After Reading to give us a beautiful piece of cinema. Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) quits his job as a CIA analyst and uses this newfound time to write his memoir. His wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), sees this and continues having an affair with U.S. Marshal Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). It feels like everybody is having an affair as we…
"Burn After Reading: A Comedic Political Thriller"
Kajillionaire is a heist movie that follows a family of con artists living in Los Angeles and struggling to keep a roof over their head. Robert (Richard Jenkins) and Theresa Dyne (Debra Winger) are con artists. They’ve raised their daughter, Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), to follow them into the family business. It may not be the best life but it’s the life they have for themselves. The family owes money while also living in…
"Sundance 2020: Kajillionaire"
One man is preparing to call it quits in The Last Shift while training his replacement in a film that starts a conversation on social issues. Stanley (Richard Jenkins) is closing in on his final graveyard shift at Oscar’s Chicken and Fish. For this final weekend after 38 years, Stanley trains Jevon (Shane Paul McGhie) to take over the shift. Throughout the weekend, we learn more about the characters. For instance, Jevon is also a…
"Sundance 2020: The Last Shift"