This dark, sexy, mystery-thriller could not be in better hands than with David Fincher. It is far superior to the abysmal Swedish version of the Steig Larson best seller. How the two films both scored 86% on Rotten Tomatoes is a mystery to me. The only thing the Swedish counterpart had going for it was that the characters actually spoke Swedish. Read more…

Lars von Trier has spent his career striving to be unconventional, and to push limits. Lately this has made him probably the most controversial director in the world. His recent film Antichrist, an exercise of grotesque masochism, divided audiences and offended many with its graphic scenes of genital mutilation. This year during a Cannes press conference, von Trier came off as somewhat of a Nazi sympathizer (he later apologized and said he would no longer talk to the press).

What can easily become buried in all of this madness is the fact the Dane is an extremely talented filmmaker. With Melancholia, this talent shines through. Here, von Trier is not trying to offend anyone, stir up controversy, or send viewers into a deep depression. Here he is executing his vision beautifully. Read more…

In 1988 Werner Herzog’s close friend Errol Morris released his documentary The Thin Blue Line. It was about a man falsely accused of murder in Texas and sentenced to death. Today it still stands as a timely and powerful argument against capital punishment.

Now, nearly a quarter-century later, with state-sanctioned killing still going strong, Herzog himself has traveled to Texas to make a film on the subject. Read more…

Moneyball, directed by Bennet Miller, ranks with the great Bull Durham as one of the best baseball movies ever made, and there may not be five minutes worth of actual baseball scenes.

No, this is a movie about the front office and the statistical revolution that occurred at the turn of the century in Major League Baseball. It’s about the new guard versus the old guard. The new guard is lead by Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, the esteemed Oakland A’s general manager. Read more…

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest is the appropriately titled new documentary from first-time filmmaker, comedian Michael Rapaport. It chronicles the story of one of rap’s greatest groups and captures the discord between its two most prominent members. Read more…

On August 1st, Netflix, one of the greatest services to ever come into my life, is pulling a major dick maneuver. Yes, as it has been widely criticized already, the greedy bastards will be charging separate fees for DVD service and Streaming Internet service. I am personally devastated by this measure. I’m currently in between jobs. I also just wrapped up a year of service with Americorps. If you don’t know what that means, it translates to me being broke as shit. I can’t afford to dish out 16 bucks a month for Netflix. While I greatly enjoy the online service for its convenience, there are many movies that I cannot watch online. Read more…

Adam Sandler was once a funny guy. He had a great chemistry on SNL with Chris Farley. Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore are indeed classic 90s comedies. Sadly his career continues to grow more and more pathetic. With his latest romp Jack and Jill he seems to be climbing down the shit-ladder in the Eddie Murphy territory. Fortunately it has provided some terrific spoofs, both on Youtube and from the boys of South Park.