Gimmicks or unconventional plot conventions in movies work only as much as they are supported by the story or other major elements. The black-and-white segments of The Wizard of Oz work so well because they truly balance the rest of the story and take place in a different world. Upside Down tries something creative that […]

The teenage years are often the most turbulent while growing up because of both the raging hormones and the quest for one’s identity and place in the world. If you add to the mix world events of considerable significance or some worthy cause, those same teenage years become even more emotional and difficult. I was […]

This past Friday I took my son out to see a film I was pretty certain he’d be bored to death with in The King’s Speech. The movie stars Colin Firth as Prince Albert (the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth‘s father) and Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, a speech therapist of last resort. Prince Albert suffered for nearly his entire life with a horrible […]

This past week I got around to seeing Tim Burton‘s incarnation of Alice in Wonderland. As a child I’d read the stories and found them a bit lacking. Maybe it was the female heroine. Maybe it was the goofy characters but I mainly felt they just weren’t very interesting stories. More to the point I […]

The second movie this week is the new western Appaloosa starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger and Jeremy Irons. This was quite an interesting experience from the very start. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a film quite like this. The dialogue is entirely unique and the repartee between Harris and Mortensen is something you have to see […]

We just got back from seeing Disney‘s latest movie, Enchanted. It’s quite an achievement. It’s original, boasts a couple of Oscar-worthy songs and appeals to a wide audience. The beginning of the movie offers up a fantastic animated sequence that’s narrated by the ever-talented Julie Andrews. This early part of the story sets the tone for […]