MASTERPIECE: Shallow Grave (1994)
There are many good films released around the world every year. Masterpiece celebrates the best of the very best: genuinely superb works of cinema that come with FictionMachine‘s very highest recommendation. If we had our own Criterion Collection, these are the films we … Continue reading MASTERPIECE: Shallow Grave (1994)
REVIEW: True Colors (1991)
Herbert Ross’ political drama True Colors has a weak screenplay, humdrum direction, and a white-guy-sax musical score that refuses to ever end, but its two lead performances almost manage to save it. Almost, but not quite. Peter Burton (John Cusack) and Tim Garrity … Continue reading REVIEW: True Colors (1991)
TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.05
“Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans” It seems an obvious thing to write, but the further that She-Hulk moves away from other elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the more enjoyable it becomes. This fifth episode largely does … Continue reading TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.05
REVIEW: Prince of Foxes (1947)
Henry King’s Prince of Foxes is a serviceable historical drama, but the presence of screen legend Orson Welles among its cast overwhelms everything in his path. When Welles is on screen, it is riveting stuff. When he is not, there is a … Continue reading REVIEW: Prince of Foxes (1947)
REVIEW: Varsity Show (1937)
William Keighley’s 1937 musical Varsity Show is not going to make anybody’s list of Hollywood classics, but it is a perfect example of what the genre was doing in its earlier years. Produced by Warner Bros, it offers a chance to see … Continue reading REVIEW: Varsity Show (1937)
REVIEW: The Foreigner (2017)
A slightly odd confluence of factors make Martin Campbell’s The Foreigner a splendid action thriller. The picture reunites James Bond veterans Campbell and Pierce Brosnan, but then throws in a healthy dose of the Northern Irish troubles and a top-of-his-game Jackie Chan … Continue reading REVIEW: The Foreigner (2017)
REVIEW: Pixie (2020)
If you have run out of absurd comedic crime thrillers directed by Guy Ritchie, then British film director Barnaby Thompson has the perfect movie for you. An appealing cast gives Pixie an entertaining polish, but there is no hiding that this Northern … Continue reading REVIEW: Pixie (2020)
TV REVIEW: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 1.02
“Adrift” Something that is genuinely impressive about Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is that he understands the need to slide up the scale as he goes. A prologue scene aside, The Fellowship of the Ring began with … Continue reading TV REVIEW: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 1.02
TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.04
“Is This Not Real Magic?” Comedy is a very subjective genre, and what works for one viewer is not necessarily going to work for another. There has been a bit of a social media frenzy in the past few days … Continue reading TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.04
REVIEW: Class Action (1991)
One of numerous studio-backed potboilers to have largely fallen out of the public memory, Michael Apted’s Class Action is an almost entirely formulaic legal drama that benefits from – and is immeasurably lifted by – stars Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth … Continue reading REVIEW: Class Action (1991)
FictionMachine 