Here’s a fact: I didn’t care for the new Patty Jenkins film, Wonder Woman 1984, at all. Here’s another fact: My good friend and film critic colleague, Max Foizey, happened … Continue reading For film critics, disagreement should only be the beginning of a lovely movie friendship
The last time I spoke with St. Louis Post Dispatch film critic Joe Williams, it was after a movie last winter and in a circle of film critics. That’s the way it worked for movie scribes. A movie would be screened and the critics would inform the local marketing company, Allied, rep what they thought afterwards. A quick take. Joe and I didn’t agree that much, but I respected his work and his blunt assessment of film.
Sunday evening, in route to a movie in Cadet, Missouri, Williams was killed in a car crash. The St. Louis film scene will never be the same. Williams’ loss will reverberate throughout the country.
The hardest part of a writer’s death is never hearing their voice again. Changing websites or papers is one thing. Post Dispatch sports writer Bernie Miklasz will leave the paper in August but he can be found at 101 ESPN afterwards. Williams’ voice is gone forever. That is truly the toughest part of this ordeal. For a town with one paper, Williams was the voice for film fans in the Lou. Every week, they’d rush to the stands or refresh their STLToday apps and see what he thought of the latest flicks. That will not be possible after this weekend. (more…)
First off, I don’t care how much money this movie made at the box office. That is something the critic has to block out when reviewing a film. It can referenced in a small area but if I judged films on how much money they made over others, Daddy Day Care might find its way onto a top ten list somewhere. My review of the movie, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.
I will hand it to Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. They offer something no other movie can dare come close to with Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. A hard boiled bloody sexy pulpy action blast that has the heart and soul of a comic book. If you can’t find another word for it, original is a plain enough description for their collaboration here.
Look, this isn’t high art, folks. The dialogue is heavy and the blood is graphic and brought to the screen with bright lime green or a dark brutal red. Characters speak in short quick bursts and it’s very dramatic. The good thing is the cast here buys into the madness and plays it the hand of cards hard instead of shortening their stroke. There is no room here for Oscar worthy performances. Only memorable death scenes. And that is completely fine because Sin City, Round 2 is all about expectations. Walk into the theater looking for something wild, crazy and you may get it.
Do you want to see Eva Green play badass and spend half the film naked with a gun in her hand? This movie is for you. She is the Dame to Kill For and doesn’t make you think twice about the notion. Green is a great actress and beautiful. She isn’t why cavemen chiseled on walls but I am sure a fair amount of men(and women) would fight for the French Queen. (more…)
Dose of Buffa 