This 1942 Technicolor film starring James Cagney has some of the most gorgeous aerial photography I’ve ever seen.
All in Action
John Lasseter & Joe Ranft's CARS
I’m not a big fan of automobiles as an art form and I don’t have a nostalgia for their cultural significance (though I can’t argue with their importance) but this movie is a real winner.
J.J. Abrams' MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III
OK, let me put my cards on the table:
1. Sometimes I like big, dumb action movies.
2. I like Tom Cruise (War of the Worlds).
3. I don’t watch Oprah.
That said, I enjoyed Mission Impossible III a great deal. I’d put it right up there with other big, dumb action movies I actually enjoy, films like Independence Day and Armageddon.
James McTeigue's V FOR VENDETTA
It’s a complex film, not only because of deals with cosmic issues like freedom, terrorism, and tyranny, but also because it forces us to explore these issues on a very character driven basis.
Richard Donner's 16 BLOCKS
It is fascinating to see how a top notch crew and ensemble of actors transforms a plot composed of overly-familar elements into high quality story telling. 16 Blocks is a prime example of this and turns out to be a superb piece of entertainment.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's “MISSION KASHMIR”
I rented this film because I was reading a book (Maximum City) by one of the screenwriters (Suketu Mehta) and because, let’s face it, I crave a Bollywood fix from time to time. I was not disappointed. This is now one of my favorites.
This is a good, but not great, popcorn movie.
Florent Siri's “HOSTAGE”
This surprisingly intelligent and well made hostage drama is another high quality vehicle for Bruce Willis (Tears of the Sun, Hart's War, Sin City) in which he demonstrates again his ability to put behind his earlier "Anybody else want to negotiate?" persona.
Christopher Nolan's “BATMAN BEGINS”
The story overall is a solemn and theatrical exploration of extended, troubled, guilt-ridden adolescence.
Zhang Yimou 's HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
Zhang Yimou (Hero, The Road Home, Not One Less) outdoes himself in this sumptuous combination of Tang dynasty era martial arts, romance, changing seasons, terrific clothes, bamboo forests, and physics-defying flying objects (and people).
Zhang Yimou's HERO
This is without a doubt the most boring film I’ve seen in months.
When I read about this movie I knew I had to see it —- demons, hellfire, angels, exorcism, all duking it out for mastery over human souls.
Ishirō Honda's “THE MYSTERIANS”
In 1957, Toho Studios released Akira Kurosawa’s epic The Hidden Fortress, a film that George Lucas has stated strongly influenced his creation of the Star Wars saga. I wasn’t paying attention. That was also the year that Toho released Inoshiro Honda’s sci-fi epic The Mysterians.
Michael Mann's "COLLATERAL"
COLLATERAL is a smashing example of how to take a standard story line and turn it into a fresh, provocative, exciting, and even at times, beautiful tale of violence and self-revelation.
Man On Fire
Yes, we get to see Denzel kick some serious ass in what has to be one of the best kidnapping-revenge movies I’ve ever seen. What makes this movie rise far above its standard story and outdated “NYPD Blue” jumpy photography is a set of terrific performance by all main and supporting characters.
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
The most interesting extra on this DVD is the long documentary that tracks the production of the film. It documents with great detail and enthusiasm what I think is the main message of this film, that people “outside the mainstream” who have a vision can produce blockbuster entertainment that depends heavily on modern technology managed and used in a tightly controlled temporary business environment.
Guillermo del Toro's “HELLBOY”
The story is still a bit derivative, but I loved the characters, especially Hellboy himself.