The Wheel's Still In Spin

Movie Review: In Bruges

This is the latest review of my all-time favorite films.

In Bruges (2008) | DVD Blu-ray Instant Video

In Bruges is a dark comedy about two hitmen who are forced to take a vacation in Bruges after a hit goes wrong. The film, written and directed by Martin McDonagh as the playwrights feature film debut, masterfully combines its humor with a morality tale. It is not necessarily about what is right or wrong, but living with a personal code and sticking to it.

Movie Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

As one of the four words in its title divulge, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is set in a covert intelligence agency. Based on a John Le Carre novel of the same name, the film takes place in the 1970s with some members of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service believing Russia has a spy in their ranks. While not tipping off the traitor, a clandestine operation is put in place in an attempt to successfully identify the traitor.

Movie Review: Pina

Pina (2011)

Two days before filming of this documentary was to begin, Pina Bausch, the German modern dancer and choreographer who is the subject of Pina, passed away. Director Win Wenders cancelled the production. The members of Bausch’s Tanztheatre Wuppertal troupe convinced him to continue with the movie, creating a document of her repertoire and a cinotaph of the choreographer.

Movie Review: Another Earth

Another Earth (2011) | Blu-ray+DVD Instant Video

Imagine that a new planet has suddenly been discovered. It is in our solar system. Actually, it’s the closest planet to us, both in terms of physical distance and in similar qualities. It may present a new home for us. It could lead to the beginning or end of the universe as we know it. Or, perhaps, everything on this new planet progressed exactly as it did on our planet, creating a mirror image of our existence.

Movie Review: The Maltese Falcon

This is the latest review of my all-time favorite films.

The Maltese Falcon (1941) | DVD Blu-ray Instant Video

The Maltese Falcon is the directoral debut of John Huston, who began his Hollywood career as a screenwriter. The screenplay, also penned by Huston, was based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett. It is referred to as the first major piece of film noir. The movie opens with an alluring female (Mary Astor) walking into the office of private detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and deceptively luring him into a hunt for the Maltese Falcon, a statuette encrusted with rare jewels.

Movie Review: 50/50

50/50 (2011) | DVD Blu-ray

Screenwriter Will Reiser based 50/50 on his personal experience with spinal cancer. In the hands of director Jonathan Levine, the film is as realistic a view of the complex process of dealing with the mortal disease as a 100-minute, feel good movie can present. It definitely has its comedic moments, but it also has a wealth of tender scenes and touchingly painful emotions.

Movie Review: Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris (2011) | DVD Blu-ray Instant Video

Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris follows Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter working on his first novel, on vacation in Paris with his fiancée and her parents. He holds an idealistic view of the city that he hopes will influence his writing. His novel is about a worker in a nostalgia shop. Like his subject, Gil has a longing the past, specifically Paris of the 1920s. As he walks around the city, he is picked up by a car and transported to the era of his dreams. Each night he goes back for more.

Movie Review: Shadow of a Doubt

This is the latest review of my all-time favorite films.

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | DVD Instant Video

Alfred Hitchcock reportedly considered Shadow of a Doubt his favorite of his own films. There is a lot to substantiate the director’s personal assessment. It has solid acting, a smooth pacing, and a storyline that is ultimately more complex than it appears. The film deals with the close bond between a young woman, Charlotte, and her Uncle Charles. Charlotte believes they have a telepathic connection that goes beyond the fact that they share the nickname Charlie, but the younger Charlie learns that her uncle has a dark past.

Movie Review: Casablanca

This is the latest review of my all-time favorite films.

Casablanca (1942) | DVD Blu-Ray Instant Video

Casablanca is one of the most celebrated films of the studio system’s golden era of Hollywood. It was shot in 10-weeks, nearly all in controlled sets. There was an attention to detail in all of the bustling scenes, but no major technical feats involved in the production. This was simply an all-encompassing drama that endures because of strong performances, indelible lines, and a fantastic, well told story.

Movie Review: Hugo

Hugo (2011)

Martin Scorsese has been a champion of film restoration and a scholar of movie history. With Hugo, he tells a heartwarming family tale that is intertwined with the life and work of Georges Méilès, film’s first master. It is somewhat of an ironic twist that Scorsese’s first 3D movie brings to life the world of silent films, but the 3D format allows many of the iconic scenes to be recreated with a shimmering depth.