If the new Spider-Man could represent one thing, it would be hope; hope that Sony can deliver as Disney and Paramount Pictures have with its Marvel mammoth The Avengers cannon; hope that their reboot is a successful and advancing platform towards a very large and lucratively sinister franchise future; and hope that will restore faith in the amazingness in its highly popular comic book wall-crawling character after a trilogy not too long ago. Continue reading
The fact that I have never seen Mary Poppins should not compromise the extent of happiness that I experienced as a youngster. Yes, it may seem a bit bizarre that I never indulged in Julie Andrew’s Oscar winning performance and one of the most iconic screen roles of all time, but the fact of the matter is, Mary Poppins is a definite Disney film classic whether or not I have seen it. And although I may be in the minority of film critics who have never had the opportunity to see Poppins, I can assure you that it would have not changed my mind on the overall result of John Lee Hancock‘s cookie-cutter retelling film Saving Mr. Banks. Formulaic, emotionally manipulating and typical in Disney’s ugly duckling to sparkling swan narrative arc, Mr.Banks needs a lot more saving than it thinks. Continue reading
Every so often, there comes a film that is so grotesque, so brutal in its depiction on the degradation of the human spirit and the treatment of human beings, that it’s almost impossible to ignore. 12 Years a Slave is that movie. The film is a harrowingly real nightmare of a film. Continue reading
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