Category Archives: Film Reviews

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

World War Z

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Mash-ups have often been fun diversions. Think of music mash-ups such as “Happy Days are Here Again” with “Get Happy,” or any number of more modern ones (watch more than one episode of Glee and you’ll see at least one.) … Continue reading →

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Quartet

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Quartet is a pleasant diversion, and will be remembered mainly as Oscar-winning actor Dustin’s Hoffman’s first (only?) directorial effort. Young people will stay away from it in droves, as it concerns a group of classical musicians who live in a … Continue reading →

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Man of Steel

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Man of Steel is nowhere near as bad as some of the critics have said. Yes, it’s too long by a good 25 minutes, and the action scenes/fights are nearly endless and almost pointless. But as a reboot of the … Continue reading →

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The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Finally saw The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), the Vincent Minnelli-directed Hollywood film that trashed Hollywood. Perhaps today it’s known more for its statistical significance; it won 5 Oscars, the most ever for a film not nominated for Best Picture. … Continue reading →

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Iron Man 3

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Not a lot to say here. It’s better than the second, not as good as the first. The story feels a bit musty and yesterday, with the enigmatic Bin Laden-esque villain. Tony Stark’s post-Avengers Stress Disorder is somewhat hokey, and … Continue reading →

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The Great Gatsby

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Mark DuPré

As any of my film students could tell you (most likely with eyes rolled back as they remembered the lesson), the last stage in the development of a genre is the parodic/baroque stage. That’s the stage where the key elements … Continue reading →

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To the Wonder

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Almost no one is going to see To the Wonder, Terrence Malick’s newest film, winner of last year’s Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. That is sad, as Malick is unique in American cinema. Expectations were high after … Continue reading →

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42

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Mark DuPré

42 is the story of Jackie Robinson, baseball’s first black major league player. It’s what the critics used to call a “movie-movie,” and it’s touching, beautifully photographed, covered in a layer of honey both visually and narratively, and not quite … Continue reading →

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Oz: The Great and Powerful

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Mark DuPré

With the unsurprising and evocative title this film has, Oz: The Great and Powerful fairly begs for an easily dismissive and disparaging riff on its title as a first line of a review. So OK—this film is neither great nor … Continue reading →

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Silver Linings Playbook

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Mark DuPré

A famous film critic once revealed one of the “dirty little secrets” of professional critics. They see so many films that they often overrate a film that’s different or fresh just because it’s outside the norm and a change of … Continue reading →

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