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In the interest of full disclosure, I immediately admit that I am a Ridley Scott apologist. He’s one of only two directors from whom I eagerly anticipate a new film (the other being the brilliant Paul Thomas Anderson). Additionally, this review is certain to contain numerous spoilers, so read at your peril.

When I first heard Scott was attacking the Robin Hood legend, I was apprehensive. Then I heard his plan was to shift focus from the philanthropic felon to the beleaguered Sheriff of Nottingham, whom it has been reported was merely a tired cop doing a thankless job. This was not only a different spin on the legend itself but perfect material for someone of Scott’s caliber to tackle.

Then reports surfaced of a proverbial troubled production. Outlaw Russell Crowe was to be joined by throaty Batman Christian Bale as the Sheriff, and the title was changed from Nottingham to the terribly original Robin Hood. Still, a Robin Hood in Scott’s hands could be fascinating if, as was reported then, the narrative would follow Kingdom of Heaven as a crusades-era story of unrest in England.

Then the rumors got truly weird. Russell Crowe (or Christian Bale, it was unclear at this point) would be playing a dual role as both the titular hero/outlaw and the sheriff. Finally, word came around that Bale was out completely and Robin Hood was back on track as yet another conventional retelling of the already belabored Robin Hood legend. Needless to say, things were not sounding good at Scott Free Productions. continue reading…

If, after watching the first five minutes of Shutter Island, you don’t know exactly how it’s going to end, then you haven’t seen enough movies, or even a good episode of The Twilight Zone. Unlike a movie such as The Sixth Sense, wherein knowing the ending actually improves the narrative, knowing the outcome of Scorsese’s latest botch-job makes getting there an agonizingly dull chore. Ill-conceived, amateurishly executed, interminably long, and mindlessly pointless, the movie cobbles together wretched red-herring flashbacks and a redundant ending so redundant in its redundancy that it’s redundant. It even falls back on anagrams! By the time we witness the “shocking relevation” we’ve already known it for two freakin’ hours.

Easily the worst movie I’ve seen this year…. and I’ve seen Valentine’s Day!

If there is an inferiority curse that struck the odd-numbered installments of the Star Trek movies (a jinx that reversed itself after number 6), then surely there is a correlating and inverse malediction for the Harry Potter features. continue reading…

Gut reaction: I came to Star Trek very guarded. After all, the much-celebrated J.J. Abrams’ first attempt at film theatricality was the tedious and prosaic Mission: Impossible III, and his first role as producer was the emetic Cloverfield. continue reading…

Clint Eastwood is probably one of America’s most mature contemporary directors, and I’m not talking about his age. continue reading…

It’s no real secret that a movie’s rating can affect its box-office numbers. Receiving an NC-17 rating, for example, can mean commercial death for a film. But how are these ratings achieved, and who is responsible for establishing the ratings?

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