‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ Is When The Oscars Got It Right

A movie like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest could’ve been a disaster. It spent years in development hell with Kirk Douglas originally wanting to play the main role before realizing he was too old. Other actors, such as Burt Reynolds, were considered before Jack Nicholson was hired. He, himself, had almost given up totallyContinue reading “‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ Is When The Oscars Got It Right”

‘Reversal Of Fortune’ Is Jeremy Irons’ Masterpiece Of Acting

If you ever want to be an actor, my advice is to get a copy (digital or physical) of Reversal of Fortune and study it. Jeremy Irons was only in his early 40s when he played Claus von Bulow (who was about 15 years older) but you wouldn’t have guessed it. With a little bitContinue reading “‘Reversal Of Fortune’ Is Jeremy Irons’ Masterpiece Of Acting”

‘Priscilla’ Shows Love Isn’t Tender

Elvis Presley will always be remembered as the greatest entertainment icon of all time. Mainly because as John Lennon said, there was no one before him. He pretty much set the bar. He was the gold standard. The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Taylor Swift. Hell, even Frank Sinatra couldn’t measure up to Elvis. There wasContinue reading “‘Priscilla’ Shows Love Isn’t Tender”

Leap-Year Lizards!

It almost makes sense the same week the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the argument that former President Donald J. Trump has immunity from prosecution is the 33rd anniversary of the infamous beating and arrest of Rodney King by four Los Angeles Police officers. The 1991 incident which occurred this day, March 3, wasContinue reading “Leap-Year Lizards!”

‘Retribution’ For Wasting Time

Thirty years ago, Liam Neeson had rose from being a character actor in movies like The Delta Force and Excalibur to his Oscar-nominated performance as Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List. Then, in 2008, he took a chance on a silly action thriller, Taken, where he turns into a vengeful father tracking down his daughter who’sContinue reading “‘Retribution’ For Wasting Time”

‘Get Gotti’ Great For Gangster Enthusiasts Yet Nothing New

John Gotti looked like he was out of Central Casting for an Italian Mafia crime boss. Before the 1970s, most of the bosses kept their identities or roles mostly hidden through fronts and legitimate businesses. Gangs and gangsters had existed in America for decades and even centuries. But a lot of them from the endContinue reading “‘Get Gotti’ Great For Gangster Enthusiasts Yet Nothing New”

‘Cursed’ Is Just That

In theatre, it’s considered bad luck to say the name of the play MacBeth. I also think it’s bad luck to use certain words or phrases in a movie or TV show. Rumor has it that the filmmakers behind In the Line of Fire tried to turn “That’s not gonna happen” spoken by Clint Eastwood’sContinue reading “‘Cursed’ Is Just That”

Richard Lewis: Dark Prince Of Comedy

There’s a saying that’s it better to laugh than it is to cry. Richard Lewis lived a life where he turned his own personal pain and neurosis into comedy. Just like another famous comic named Richard (as in Richard Pryor), we laughed because he made us want to laugh. To call Lewis neurotic with hisContinue reading “Richard Lewis: Dark Prince Of Comedy”

How Spike Lee’s ‘Bamboozled’ Is His Bravest Movie With Social Commentary

Spike Lee is one of those filmmakers who isn’t afraid to make audiences mad. And that’s part of the reason I don’t like some of his movies. He seems to be too busy on his soapbox without being a storyteller. When his movies like Summer of Sam, Oldboy and Inside Man don’t focus much onContinue reading “How Spike Lee’s ‘Bamboozled’ Is His Bravest Movie With Social Commentary”

‘BlackBerry’ Does More Than Just Phoning It In

A movie like BlackBerry might just be the perfect example of why some businesses fail, especially those in the tech industry – lack of communication. This is ironic because the purpose of a BlackBerry was an attempt to make communications easier as the 21st Century was looming. In the 1990s, Mike Lazardis (Jay Baruchel) andContinue reading “‘BlackBerry’ Does More Than Just Phoning It In”