It’s been a long time since I read King Rat, but this seemed like a very subtle and well-crafted screenplay of it. Like the book Shantung Compound, this story of the prisoners of a Japanese POW camp in China uses the intense competition for scarce resources in such a place to illustrate the often harsh…

This was the episode that disappointed me most in the theatre because I thought story changes did injustice to some of the characters, especially Faramir and Treebeard. Even the title has a completely different meaning, with the two towers as allies instead of competitors for the ring. In the extended version the extra character development…

We’d been informed that we all had tickets to a “surprise show” for my Dad’s birthday. As we approached the decrepit old Heritage Square amusement park with it’s vaudeville-style music hall we braced for the worst, but ended up having a pretty good time. Drinks were served, which is key for this venue. The show…

I saw echoes of Heathers in this dark commentary on high school angst. The characters here have more depth, and they tackle hairier philosophical issues, but ultimately I found the premise of their motivations and behavoir an unbelievable and unsatisfying argument against free will. Still, there are parallel universes, a sexy censored schoolteacher, a hypocritical…

Ann pegged it as soon as the opening credits came up, “Oh, it’s got a noir soundtrack.” This is film noir meets the gay 1970’s. Pedro Almodovar stays true to the genre with a few key reversals. Instead of murky black and white, he assails you with bright, garish oranges and yellows. That, and all…

Robert McNamara was involved in much of the warfare of the 20th century. This documentary is an undeniable success at conveying McNamara’s perspective on war based on his experiences. I don’t think I’ll ever be an expert on warfare, but if the subject is thrust upon me for whatever reason, I will watch this film…