Yearly Archives: 2014

X-Men: Days Of Future Past review

Directed by Bryan Singer, written by Simon Kinburg from a story by Kinburg, Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn I never really understood why 20th Century Fox chose to prematurely conclude the X-Men franchise.  Fox officially called it quits as a trilogy, with Brent Ratner's limp X-Men: The Last Stand back in 2006. Yes, Singer's beneath-the-skin understanding…Read More

Only Lovers Left Alive review

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch Ah, the welcome return of the godfather of American indie film. It's a real delight to see something new from Jarmusch.  For those who don't know his stuff, he's best known for languid, atmospheric features low on plot but high on characters skirting the margins of society. His films include Stranger Than…Read More

10 Great Jeff Goldblum roles

It was only recently that I started to appreciate Jeff Goldblum's special appeal. I'd respected him as a character actor who'd flirted with big time stardom, in movies like The Fly and Jurassic Park and Independence Day, but who rarely had his name above the title. It's a good place to be, career wise. It…Read More

Godzilla (2014) review

Directed by Gareth Edwards , written by Max Borenstein, from a story by David Callaham. Well, folks, Godzilla is here. The beloved gigantic radioactive lizard with the fiery breath is the star of his own American movie once again. Those of you with fond memories of the Toho Studios movies going back to the 1950s…Read More

Blockbuster Blues 2014: The Good and The Grim Prospects for This Season at The Movies

This summer's blockbuster selection looks pretty dire, I gotta say. In April we had Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Transcendence. This month we've got The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past. These are big-budget science fiction and fantasy films, highly anticipated, which make all in the Nerd Nation very happy—and me too. But the first three are…Read More

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review

Directed by Marc Webb Written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt, adapting the Marvel comic created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko My friend Dave, who loves superhero movies, and I disagreed on this one, and I had to admit that maybe my enjoyment of it was at least partly the…Read More

CTV Morning Live, May 2, 2014

Yup, I still talk with my hands. Like, all the time. The good people at CTV Morning Live in Halifax had me on again today to talk movies. I reviewed The Amazing Spider-Man 2—full review on this site still to come—as well as Tim's Vermeer and Dom Hemingway, and previewed a few of May's interesting…Read More

Dom Hemingway review

Written and directed by Richard Shepard I had to take a look at Shepard's IMDB page to remind myself what else he's done, and the title that jumped out at me was The Matador. It had a plum role for Pierce Brosnan as a hit man, which served as a nice reinvention immediately following his stint…Read More

Bob Hoskins and Mona Lisa

When I heard the sad news that Bob Hoskins died today at age 71, it made me think of the first movie I saw him in. I'd lived in London for less than a year when Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa came out. It was a tough year for me. A new high school, much larger than the…Read More

Transcendence review

Directed by Wally Pfister / Written by Jack Paglen   I'm writing this on the first Saturday night since Transcendence opened. I've taken in the deluge of scathing reviews the Johnny Depp movie has earned, along with the reports few are bothering to see it in the cinema. A bad combination. But I'm here to tell you while the…Read More