-
West of Memphis (2012)
Critics of our criminal justice system don’t have to search for nightmare scenarios of wrongful convictions. From coerced confessions to exonerations through DNA testing, the past several decades are rife with tales of injustice that would have given Kafka the willies. It says something about the horrific saga of the West Memphis Three that their…
-
Disturbia (2007)
Disturbia isn’t a great thriller, or even a very memorable one, but this compact little flick delivers some thrills, injects humor and visual flair, and boasts an appealing performance from Shia LaBeouf. Such positives help compensate for what winds up a disappointing abundance of genre clichés. LaBeouf is Kale Brecht, a smart and likeable 17-year-old going…
-
Little Children (2006)
Weaving a tapestry of marital strain, infidelity and the difficulties of parenthood, Little Children is a scathingly honest critique of suburban manners that never sacrifices its humanity for satire. Director Todd Field‘s follow-up to his excellent 2001 melodrama, In the Bedroom, the film is a rarity: caustic without crossing over into cruelty, affecting without resorting to cheap…
-
Frenzy (1972)
After several disappointments in the 1960s, Frenzy marked a near-return to form for Alfred Hitchcock. It also marked a belated homecoming of sorts for the master of suspense, who returned to his native London for this 1972 thriller that echoed his past glories while simultaneously exploiting the decade’s’ new permissiveness. Jon Finch stars as Richard…
-
The Visitor (2007)
Richard Jenkins is one of those character actors you see often, and often take for granted. If there is one great thing about indie films (and, for the record, there are a number of great things about them), it’s the opportunity for criminally overlooked thespians of a certain age or look to shine in leading…
-
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Loosely based on the espionage TV series of the late 1960s, Mission: Impossible finds Tom Cruise as secret agent Ethan Hunt, the point man for a team of IMF spies headed by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight reprising the only character originally from the TV show). Trouble ensues when Phelps’ team is assigned to keep a list of…
-
The Roost (2005)
The Roost is for horror fans who fondly recall the heyday of drive-in theaters and pot-addled midnight screenings. Director Ti West’s über-low-budget debut mines the less-is-more approach carved out by the likes of George A. Romero‘s Night of the Living Dead and early John Carpenter pictures. The premise is lean. Four young people (Karl Jacob,…
Cutting to the Chase with Phil Bacharach
Let’s talk about movies.
Cutting to the Chase with Phil Bacharach 