There is a distinct genre (or subgenre, perhaps) of films in which women have their apparently happy (often married) lives completely wrecked (generally by an unfaithful husband) and then go off to find themselves.  Under the Tuscan Sun, the focus of this review, unquestionably falls into the genre. While often uplifting in the end, there is a serious and very real discussion to be had about these films and the actual message which they impart.  If the woman ends up with a new man is the film suggesting that women can only be happy if they're in a relationship?...more

Anyone who has ever had a parent surely knows that nobody can quite screw up your life as well as they can. It's bound to happen just about anywhere in the world — and our brothers and sisters in Italy are certainly not exempt from that sort of embarrassment. Case in point: the 2010 Italian dramedy, La Prima Cosa Bella, better known in the English tongue as The First Beautiful Thing. This sometimes lighthearted/frequently serious yarn from Paolo Virzì, whom many consider a traditional Italian comedy filmmaker, follows the oft-heartbreaking plights of Michelucci clan: Bruno, Valeria, and their mother, Anna....more

You know, one really has to wonder where our advanced society would be today without the diligent pioneering efforts of animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbara. Why, without shows like The Flintstones, we might not have foot-powered cars made out of wood and stone. Were it not for The Jetsons, we wouldn't be flying jet-cars and being waited on by robotic maids. And, if Hanna-Barbara not have given us the lesser-known animated cult classic, Sealab 2020, there stands an excellent chance that manned undersea scientific compounds would still be a figment of some sci-fi writer's imagination....more

Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo first came to my attention when he directed the sequel to Danny Boyle's excellent pseudo-zombie film 28 Days Later, the movie was cleverly titled 28 Weeks Later. The sequel was impressive in how it built on the first, felt like it was in the same universe, but also stood on its own as a strong film. When it was announced that his follow up was going to be a psychological thriller, I was certainly interested. It also did not hurt that he was able to attract Clive Owen to play the lead role. It has been four years since he appeared on my radar, was the wait worth it?...more

It’s been over a decade since all the primary characters from the first two American Pie movies were all together. The less said about the embarrassing third installment, American Wedding (2003), the better. That one only managed to reassemble part of the original cast and even they seemed to realize the franchise was out of steam. But now we have American Reunion, an appropriate title, as every significant cast member—from Jason Biggs as Jim Levenstein right down to Chuck “The Sherminator” Sherman (Chris Owen)—is back. The big question is, were they able to pull it off after all these years?...more

Oliver Stone's 1989 film, Born on the Fourth of July (now available on Blu-ray) is based on the autobiography of Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who was wounded in combat and became an outspoken political activist in the years following his return to the U.S. Kovic is portrayed by Tom Cruise, who dedicated himself fully to the role. The film is a tale of the triumph of the human spirit, as well as a social commentary on the tumultuous times following the end of the Vietnam War. Though it has been over 20 years since its release, and nearly 40 years since the fall of Saigon, the repercussions of this time period still echo throughout society today. Stone, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, unflinchingly covers both the personal and the political, leaving an impact that remains to this day....more

Even if its preceding reputation or that of director Roger Vadim is unknown to you, it’s a safe bet you’ll understand what you’re in for about five minutes into Barbarella, a 1968 minor cult classic based on the French comics by Jean-Claude Forest. The film’s famed title sequence — featuring an intergalactic Jane Fonda undressing in zero gravity in her shag-carpet-lined spaceship — is a perfect encapsulation of the film’s toothless erotic camp. It’s so perfect, one might be better off just stopping after it’s over, as the film’s subsequent setpieces tend to be subject to diminishing returns....more

Director Tarsem Singh has an unquestionable sense of style.  As stated in my Blu-ray review of Immortals, the man has an eye for visuals.  His movies look incredible, they are dazzling works of art.  They are also, all too regularly, distinctly lacking when it comes to story and plot and just about everything outside of the look.  There is, however, always the sense about Singh that if he can manage, just once, to put it all together and create a movie not just with his sense of style but also with a great story that it would be a classic that would stand the test of time.  2012's Mirror, Mirror is not that movie, but it is certainly closer than Singh's previous effort....more

Sequels to popular videogames often find the hero at their center having lost their power between entries – it may be lazy, but it serves as a pretty good way to excuse the fact that the character begins weak and has to do all the leveling up and skill tree-advancing once more.  It is far more difficult to have a super-powerful character need to get more powerful in a sequel....more

Director Hiroshi Inagaki made three samurai films with Toshiro Mifune that remain classics of the genre. The films collected on the new Criterion Collection triple-DVD set are, Musashi Miyamoto (1954), Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955), and Duel at Ganryu Island (1956). The films were inspired by the true life of one of Japan’s most durable folk heroes, Musashi Miyamoto, a role Mifune was seemingly born to portray....more