DVD of the Week – Review of You Kill Me (2007)
by NIR SHALEV
Frank Falenczyk (Sir Ben Kingsley) is a hitman for the Polish mob, if ever there was such a thing. Problem is he has a terrible alcohol problem. One night while on duty but drunk, he falls asleep in his car while his boss’s competition boards a train that he “wasn’t supposed to.” Frank is picked up in the morning by his peers and his boss Roman (veteran character actor Philip Baker Hall) sends him to San Francisco to sober up. That’s where the film picks up its humor and never lets up. Read more 
Rewind: Films of the 60s, 70s, 80s – Midnight Run (1988)
by RICHARD WINTERS
Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is a bounty hunter who is looking to get into a less stressful business. He is offered $100,000 to find bail jumper Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin), who worked as an accountant for the mob and skimmed $15 million from them. Jack thinks he can use the money to open up a coffee shop, but finds that the FBI is in hot pursuit of Mardukas as well. What is worse is that rival bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler (John Ashton) also wants his hands on Mardukas and the money. Jack even finds himself chased by the mob, who want to silence Mardukas before he can turn state’s evidence. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (September 16, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
Only one new release this week- the English 1960s-set drama Brighton Rock at the Keystone Art in Indianapolis- but there are a bunch of theatrical holdovers and a whole lot of special screenings around the state to keep us all busy. What’s on your moviegoing list? Read more
A Few Good Blog Posts (September, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
A monthly round-up of recent blog posts I enjoyed reading.
“Infamous & Elusive: The True Story of Jesse James” at The Cooler Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
by NIR SHALEV
The Magnificent Ambersons is Orson Welles’ second masterpiece, following his surprising commercial flop Citizen Kane (1941). This film is far less flamboyant, contains a more stark visual style, and borrows strongly from Eisensteinian dramatic compositions and editing techniques, which is a very good thing. Read more
Rewind: Films of the 60s, 70s, 80s – Harry in Your Pocket (1973)
by RICHARD WINTERS
Ray (Michael Sarrazin) is an amateur pickpocket who seems to have no luck trying it on his own. He meets a woman named Sandy (Trish Van Devere) who has just lost everything, and the two decide to get into the pickpocket racket as a simple means for survival. They get hooked up with Harry (James Coburn) and his mentor Casey (Walter Pidgeon) who teach them the fine art of pickpocketing while preying on summer tourists in Seattle. Read more
Movie Review – Warrior (2011)
by HELEN GEIB
Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is a high school physics teacher, around 30 years old, married to his high school sweetheart Tess (Jennifer Morrison) and proud father of two adorable little girls. The family is in debt from medical bills and in danger of losing their house to foreclosure. Brendan’s first career was as a UFC fighter and to make some extra money he’s started fighting again, like the fight in the temporary ring set up in the parking lot of a strip club that gets him suspended from his teaching job. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (September 9, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
We’re back with another edition of Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana, and in a good sign, there’s too much going on this week to summarize here. What’s on your moviegoing list for this week? Read more
Road Trip Movies?
by HELEN GEIB
This post is a day late going up for the excellent to my mind reason that I just got home from a driving trip to Colorado. My excuse is the prompt for this month’s discussion topic: road trip movies. Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of Everything Must Go (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Based on Raymond Carver’s short story “Why Won’t You Dance”, Everything Must Go tells the story of Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell), an alcoholic who recently relapsed. As a result, he loses his long term job and also his marriage; his wife locks him out of his own house, his joint bank account is frozen, his car is seized, etc. This is only the first ten minutes of the film and it may seem grim, but this is an indie film that’s full of wonderful moments that left me smiling. Nevertheless, there are some dark moments too and they’re the best parts of the film. Read more
