The film making process sucks, particularly when shooting on location. There are so many things that can and will go wrong, and even the most organized production is a logistical nightmare. So when mounting an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” – a novel that yielded a film version by Sidney Lumet […]
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” — This One Avoids the Plank
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise is a lot like a fun uncle who seemed kind of hip and cool when you were twelve. Now he’s just a little embarrassing both in present time and in retrospect. It’s not only because he’s still wearing sunglasses indoors, or even that he’s trying to cover that bald […]
Dagger Movie Night — “Alice Through the Looking Glass”: How Many Colors Can We Put On-Screen At Once?
There is a scene in “Alice Through the Looking Glass” where the plot suddenly jumps to find Alice locked up in a mental institution. There’s a little hope that the contrived plot up to that point has been an elaborate setup to show that Alice has been having a “St. Elsewhere” moment. Alas, that’s not […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Transcendence” — Mash-up of Sci-Fi Cliches is Entertaining, Not Entertainment
In a phrase, “Transcendence” is best described as the difference between entertainment and entertaining. This film is certainly entertaining, but it is not entertainment. All the potential of the story was squandered into a mash up of sci-fi clichés and plot points that don’t really fit together under scrutiny. In other words, it is not […]
Reel News: Week of May 7 – Dark Shadows, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Sound of My Voice, The Vow, Underworld: Awakening
Theatrical Releases This Week Dark Shadows Director: Tim Burton PG-13; 1 hr. 12 min. Trailer Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet-or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique […]
Dagger Movie Night: “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
[Click below to hear the audio version of this review which aired on WAMD 970 AM.] [audio:http://www.daggerpress.com/wp-content/uploads/051911_DAGGER-MOVIE-REVIEW-1.mp3|titles=051911_DAGGER MOVIE REVIEW (1)] Everyone’s favorite pirate reprises his role for the fourth installment of the series. This outing marks a return to the pulpy action of the first movie that launched the franchise. While not the best of […]
“The Closest Shave You’ve Ever Had” – Sweeny Todd
When I recently secured a spot for a screening of Tim Burton’s new film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, I was elated to have the chance to see a Burton film before the masses. See, I have been a huge Burton fan ever since I saw The Nightmare Before Christmas. And the […]
