Tag Archives: Ridley Scott

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

In the wake of the death of the legendary Angela Lansbury, I thought I’d take another look at her third Oscar-nominated performance in the 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate. It’s a film that disappeared for a while, so it’s … Continue reading

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2018 Oscar Noms—First Thoughts

I love Oscar season. Each year is fascinating for different reasons. While genuinely good work gets recognized (and some good and great work gets ignored), the other factors that figure into the nominations, and then the final awards, change each … Continue reading

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Alien: Covenant

A mini-review…. This film has beautiful production design, excellent cinematography, and a star-making performance by Michael Fassbender (who is already a star). On the other hand, there’s nothing new here. After wandering far afield of the Alien myth with 2012’s … Continue reading

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2016 Oscars–first thoughts

OK, they nominations are out. And the celebrating, sniping and whining has begun. But the nominations are not exactly shocking, and are in fact fairly predictable. There are a few surprises, though, and while not shocking, are at least attention-getting. … Continue reading

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The Martian

Intelligent, well-crafted Hollywood films are supposed to be narrowly focused and possess a mid-sized budget—think All the President’s Men, The Social Network, and Moneyball. Space films are supposed to be bloated and/or full of dangerous other-worldly creatures. Then came Gravity, … Continue reading

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An open letter to the creators of Exodus: Gods and Kings

Note: Normally, I write a critique of a film in the standard way. After viewing Exodus: Gods and Kings, I felt a note to the director, screenwriters and producers of the film seemed more in order. Dear Mr. Scott, Myriad … Continue reading

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