On DVD/Blu-ray – Review of Hugo (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
There exist countless films exploring mankind’s love for film made throughout the past 127 years and many have delivered on their premise. But as of late, none have delivered a more beautiful looking, heartfelt film than Scorsese has with Hugo (yes, I’ve watched The Artist). Read more 
Movie Review – Starship Troopers (1997)
by NIR SHALEV
In 1959, Robert Heinlein published a book titled Starship Troopers which contained a futuristic militaristic society with a protagonist who’s a soldier from the Philippines. Juan “Johnnie” Rico joined the Mobile Infantry Division and went to war with hundreds of thousands of other soldiers against an alien insect race. The book induced a state of boredom in most of its readers, is excessively self-centered, and contains a positive view of a militaristic regime. Read more
Movie Review – Chronicle (2012)
by NIR SHALEV
Chronicle, although shot entirely in Cape Town, South Africa is set in Seattle (it’s a mystery to me) and follows the daily lives of three teenage boys: Steve (Michael B. Jordan), the most popular guy in school who’s also running for school president; Matt (Alex Russell), a very friendly and likable jock; and Andrew (Dane DeHann), Matt’s cousin and a lonely teenager who’s periodically beaten by his alcoholic father and whose mother lies sick in bed all day. Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Take Shelter (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Michael Shannon plays a construction worker named Curtis. Lately, Curtis has been having terrible nightmares, which he inevitably interprets as prophetic visions. In one nightmare, his gentle dog bites his hand and after waking, Curtis continues to feel the pain in his hand for the remainder of the day; in another nightmare, townsfolk attack him and his daughter. The nightmares grow more and more unsettling and Curtis begins to believe that the end is nigh. He tells his loving wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) that a storm is coming and that its magnitude will be catastrophic and possibly apocalyptic. Read more
Movie Review – Coriolanus (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Coriolanus exists in our contemporary society and was shot entirely in Belgrade, Serbia. It takes place in “a city that calls itself Rome,” taken directly from Shakespeare’s play and it depicts the tragic tale of General Caius Martius (Ralph Fiennes). Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Anonymous (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
There’s not much to say here that hasn’t already been said in my original review of Roland Emmerich’s best film, Anonymous. The film is based on one of the most popular conspiracy theories that sees William Shakespeare as a fraud and a scapegoat. Emmerich utilizes his expert eye for grand special effects to beautifully render whole cities, from more than five centuries ago, on the screen instead of having them destroyed for the fun of it. Read more
Movie Review – The Far Country (1954)
by NIR SHALEV
Anthony Mann is my favorite Western director. All of his Westerns, or at least most of them depict anti-heroes and bad-guys-turned-good, but The Far Country is quite remarkably different. Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Review of The Big Year (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Here’s a film that I hadn’t heard of until last week, but I took a chance on it anyway. It didn’t score very well with the critics and after having watched it, I can now claim that the critics didn’t get what they were looking for because they had certain expectations. That’s why it’s sometimes necessary to go into a film without any expectations. Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Review of Real Steel (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
There comes a point, usually very early in a film when the audience understands that it needs to suspend disbelief; and it does so willingly. In Real Steel, it was the premise alone that made me suspend my disbelief and just from watching the trailers. The basic idea that the logical next step in the evolution of the blood sport- the blood sport starting with the gladiatorial arenas in ancient Rome and ending up in our current times with hockey and boxing- is robots beating the tar out of one another in a ring is preposterous. When flesh and blood are removed from the equation, it’s no longer a blood sport, and therefore robot fighting can’t be the next logical step. But Real Steel makes you forget that from early on. Unless you want to hate the film anyway. In which case, why would you watch it? Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Review of Vampire’s Kiss (1988)
by NIR SHALEV
Nicolas Cage was slowly climbing up the Hollywood popularity ladder after delivering one likable performances after another in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Raising Arizona (1987), and the terrific Moonstruck (1987). But his craziest, loopiest performance is in Vampire’s Kiss. Here he plays (with a mysterious but bad British accent) Peter Loew, a New York yuppie who ventures one night into a club, brings home his new date (Jennifer Beals) and then is bitten on the neck by her. Read more
