Films are divided into three acts. The first is typically called the Setup, in which we meet our protagonist, antagonist, and supporting characters, and learn a bit about who they are and what they want. The first act ends with a turning point in which our hero(es) are set on a road toward adventure and […]
Dagger Movie Night: “St. Vincent” — A Solid Delivery With Plenty of Bill Murray Laughs
If “St. Vincent” feels like a rehash of familiar movie trope, you’re right. The plot is neither original nor particularly engaging after so many takes. What makes it work is tweaks which create a deeper character and the comedy talent at play. “St. Vincent” is thematically weak, but strengthened by the presence of those involved. […]
Weekend Movie Review: ‘The A-Team,’ ‘Mother and Child’
The A-Team (20th Century Fox) (Michael Muller/20th Century Fox) Whipped, nipped, and tucked into submission, The A-Team is an expensive-looking, high-gloss action bonanza, so calculative as to feel mechanical, and so unobtrusive or unchallenging in any way that it’s almost spooky. Four renegade army types team up for militaristic operations under the US Army’s banner […]
EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Rodrigo Garcia, writer and director of MD Film Festival closer ‘Mother and Child’
Movies of late have been… loud. From the bombastic rocket-launch of Iron Man 2, to the sting of swords and arrows in Robin Hood, to the kinetic furor of the latest Shrek installment. Then the sandy, shrieky inanity of the Sex and the City gals and a certain Prince of Persia, and just last weekend, […]