Category Archives: Film Reviews

Film reviews and analyses. Most recently published is in front.

Nightcrawler

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Mark DuPré

Nightcrawler is a lean, mean, indie-feeling film that purports to show the “sordid underbelly” of television news-footage gathering, and we assume, by extension, the sordid underbelly of, uh, something bigger. While it uses the topic of gathering video footage as … Continue reading →

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Gone Girl

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Mark DuPré

Director David Fincher has made his Vertigo—a multi-layered, beautifully (and carefully) directed with a gorgeous blonde at the center, with layers of twisty plot turns and double crosses, complete with manipulation, identity issues and obsession. Gone Girl is probably the … Continue reading →

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Follow the Fleet

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Mark DuPré

Follow the Fleet (1936) is considered one of the lesser Astaire-Rogers musicals. Seeing it again for research, it’s clearer than ever why. If ever there was a musical that should be fast-forwarded through to get to the musical numbers, this … Continue reading →

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The Hundred-Foot Journey

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Mark DuPré

The Hundred-Foot Journey has won one major award so far—director Lasse Hallström the Audience Award at the Norwegian International Film Festival. That makes sense. It’s a mildly enjoyable paint-by numbers film, directed with a certain professional panache from the director … Continue reading →

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Heaven is for Real: A Matter of Resonance

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Mark DuPré

Finally saw Heaven is for Real on DVD, and was quite pleasantly surprised. As a film person, I approach the viewing of most films with enthusiasm, looking to find something of worth in even the worst films. As a Christian, … Continue reading →

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Boyhood

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Mark DuPré

In film class in college, we learned the difference between narrative and spectacle. Narrative, of course, was the story. Spectacle was, well, the songs and dances, or the special effects that dazzled, or the great set pieces like fights or … Continue reading →

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Guardians of the Galaxy

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Mark DuPré

Guardians of the Galaxy resembles one of those cloth dolls stitched together by someone who has the necessary pieces and a general idea of how to put them together. The result is something fun that fulfills its function, but upon … Continue reading →

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Jaws Revisited

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Mark DuPré

It only made sense when doing a large extended-family vacation on Cape Cod, after spending an afternoon on the beach, to take another look at Jaws. The first time around, the film got lost in the phenomenon. It’s heralded as … Continue reading →

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Two Films from 1942

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Mark DuPré

Holiday Inn As part of my general research on musicals, I wanted a complete look at a couple of films of what I’d only seen bits and pieces. Both were released in 1942. Both were packed with star power, and … Continue reading →

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Jersey Boys

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Mark DuPré

What a fascinating, enjoyable mess of a film! The saving grace of the film, of course, is that glorious music (“Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man”), with a nearly irresistible hook of the classic rags-to-riches-and-off-to-who-knows-where story, in … Continue reading →

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