American Gangster, the story of Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington) is in my opinion a good film with superb acting. Though at times certain themes could have been developed better.
The dichotomy of Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe) being an honest cop with a disordered personal life, and Frank Lucas being a drug lord with an ordered personal life - is one of those. The court scene where Richie's ex wife leans over and simply explains Richie's contradictory…
Das Boot (pronounced 'bought') was on my recommended page on Netflix for many months before I finally set aside an evening and made microwave popcorn to view this German masterpiece.
Das Boot begins with a party of German U-Boat personnel.
The songs and dancing gave the scene a debaucherous mid 20th century German feel and drew parallels to similar scenes in Der Untergang (Downfall). Like Downfall, Das Boot immerses you in the cultural moment of wartime Germany, with intriguing dialogue…
It was a strange coincidence that I had written an essay not long before Sicaro: Day of the Soldado's release describing the very scenario which the film depicts. The United States has included Mexican drug cartels within their definition of 'Terrorist organizations'. "As you can imagine, that will greatly increase our capacity to combat them" - The secretary of defense played by Matthew Modine gravely notes.
Sicario (2015) began with an explosion and builds slowly throughout the film, with subdued…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Sitting down and watching Conclave in the Classic amid the buzz of New Year's Eve with esteemed Monash Philosophy graduate Darren formed a memory well made. Though how positive my experience would have been on any given Tuesday evening during the working week, I am less certain.
From the opening shot of Ralph Fiennes walking along on a Roman concrete slab in a tunnel, footsteps echoing and heavy breathing through the nose. I felt that finally after a long break…
