Movie Review Spirited Away

Spirited Away 

Directed by Hiyao Miyazaki 

Written by Hiyao Miyazaki

Starring Rumi Hiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki

Released July 20th, 2001

My first exposure to the amazing art form that is Japanese animation came in early 2002 with my personal discovery of Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis; a glorious combination of wildly imaginative visuals and adventurous storytelling. I am certain that Metropolis went to make my Top 10 of the year that year, it absolutely blew my mind. And yet, Metropolis wasn’t even the best Japanese animated film of that year. In Hiyao Miyazaki's moving and evocative masterpiece Spirited Away, I found not just the best animated movie of 2002, but arguably the best work of film art of that long ago year. 

The story of Spirited Away begins with a family moving into their brand new home. However, on the way there, a detour takes them in the wrong direction, leading the family to what they believe is an abandoned amusement park. The young daughter, Chihiro, is terribly frightened by the place but, on her parents' urging, she explores the grounds and discovers its strange secrets. Chihiro's explorations lead her to what looks like a normal Japanese bathhouse. There she meets Haku, a young boy who urges her to leave the park before she and her family become trapped forever.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Written by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan

Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman

Release Date July 8th, 2008 

The death of Heath Ledger casts a pall over the proceedings of The Dark Knight. Watching his performance as the maniacal Joker we are riveted and frightened and, in the end, left exhilarated. And once it is over the sadness sets in. Knowing we will never get to see that talent displayed in full ever again is an incalculable loss. Nevertheless, The Dark Knight is an extraordinary thrill ride. A down and dirty gangster movie, not far off of the real life depths of say American Gangster, only with a guy dressed as a bat.

Establishing himself as the most indelible of all caped crusaders, Christian Bale returns in The Dark Knight as Batman and his playboy alter-ego Bruce Wayne. For the past three years, with the aid of detective Jim Gordon, Batman has swept the streets of Gotham clean. Now, with the arrival of golden boy district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) there seems to be light at the end of the bat tunnel.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Classic Movie Review Lost in America

Lost in America 

Directed by Albert Brooks 

Written by Albert Brooks

Starring Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty 

Released March 15th, 1985 

Who hasn't thought of the freedom that would come from dropping out of everyday society. The notion of giving up all the oppressive things in your life and giving yourself over to the open road and the freedom to do literally anything. Fear keeps us from realizing this dream. Fear whispers in your ear and says ``you can't quit your job, what will you do for money?" Fear is quite practical that way. 

But what if you had money? I'm not talking about the dilettantish millions of dollars that would set you up for life but merely just enough money where you know that you can get by for a while. Would you be ready to chuck it all and run off in a Winnebago to paint and write books? That's what Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty's characters in Lost in America had when they decided to chuck it all. What happened next is the end of a rather unusual movie.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here.

Movie Review Hustle

Hustle 

Directed by Jeremiah Zagar

Written by Taylor Materne, Will Fetters

Starring Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, Anthony Edwards, Robert Duvall

Released June 3rd, 2022

Hustle stars Adam Sandler as Stanley Sugarman, a scout for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. It’s Stanley’s job to travel around the world and find the next great European player. On a trip to Spain, he finds that player. Bo Cruz, played by NBA star Juancho Hernangomez, is tall and fast and has a terrific jump shot. Spotting Bo playing streetball late one one night, Stanley recognizes his talent even as he was playing basketball in work boots. 

Believing that Bo is the next great player, the one to take the 76ers to the next level, Stanley has to convince the higher ups. This means convincing his long time rival, Vince Merrick (Ben Foster), the talentless son of the late owner (Robert Duvall), to take a chance. When Vince says no and tells Stanley to forget about Bo, Stanley risks his job and financial security to bring Bo to America on his own dime. Putting him up in a hotel, Stanley has to try and get the kid into the NBA draft while keeping Vince in the dark.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Classic Movie Review The Tales of Hoffman

The Tales of Hoffman 

Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger 

Written by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Dennis Arundell, Jules Barbier, E.T.A Hoffman

Starring Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann

Released April 4th, 1951 

The Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger film, The Tales of Hoffmann, is receiving a brand new Criterion Collection release on Tuesday, June 7th, 2022. Though it is not as well known as Powell and Pressburger’s unparalleled classic, The Red Shoes (1948), The Tales of Hoffmann is quite similar to that 1948 film in terms of style and ambition. Powell and Pressburger’s unprecedented challenge was to bring Opera and Ballet to the big screen in a cinematic package. Their accomplishment of that ambition makes The Tales of Hoffmann historic. 

The Tales of Hoffmann tells three tales, not counting the story being told within the framing device employed by Powell and Pressburger. The framing device has our protagonist, Hoffmann (Robert Rounseville), attending a ballet performance by his beloved Stella (Moira Shearer). During intermission, Hoffman joins his friends and fellow poets in a pub where he is called upon to tell tales. Hoffmann agrees and sets about telling three tales of his failed romances.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Classic Movie Review The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story 

Directed by George Cukor

Written by David Ogden Stewart

Starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Ruth Hussey

Released January 27th, 1941

Class warfare comedies, and especially romantic comedies, have a particular tenor and familiar pattern and much of that pattern was navigated first by the legendary director George Cukor whose films such as Born Yesterday and My Fair Lady were all about the clash of cultures as the background to comic romance. Arguably, Cukor’s finest example of the culture clash romance is the 1940 Academy Award nominee The Philadelphia Story starring Katharine Hepburn, Ruth Hussey, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart.

The Philadelphia Story stars Hepburn as Tracy, ha ha, get it, Tracy, a famous member of a rich Philadelphia clan. Two years earlier she’d called off a big, upper crust marriage to fellow rich family man, C.K Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), in a fashion that was somewhat scandalous. Now, Tracy is set to marry again, this time to a self-made man named George Kitteridge (John Howard) who isn’t all that exciting or glamorous but is stable and well-heeled.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Classic Movie Review Jaws

Jaws 

Directed by Steven Spielberg 

Written by Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb

Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw

Release Date June 20th, 1975 

I’ve seen Jaws at least 15 times in my life and it remains consistently entertaining and exciting. Steven Speilberg’s assured direction, Roy Scheider’s steady lead performance, and Robert Shaw’s incredible performance as Quint never fail to sweep me up in the action at Amity Beach. That action is underlined by the remarkable behind the scenes stories that have become legends in their own right and have served to make Jaws so unforgettable.

Jaws stars Roy Scheider as Police Chief Brody. Chief Brody gave up life as a New York City beat cop for the peace and tranquility of a small town beach community. In my own head-canon, Scheider’s tough as nails French Connection detective simply dropped out of society and assumed the identity of Brody to escape Popeye Doyle and his cloud of corruption. That aside, Brody is at peace with the slow pace of life in Amity.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here.