Category Archives: Reviews

Homeland, Ep. 202: Beirut is Back

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Homeland’s Carrie isn’t a schizophrenic sociopath who threatens the security of those around her or talks to telephone poles. In fact, she’s one of the more grounded mentally unstable characters I’ve ever seen. Yet, the buttoned-up, masculine politics of the CIA … Continue reading →

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Mess, Stink, Love, and Humidity: The Paperboy

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Pauline Kael famously said, “Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them.” If you haven’t heard it yet in reference to The Paperboy, I assure … Continue reading →

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Gere Dance: The Cotton Club (1984)

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

When cast well, Richard Gere has the unique ability to come off as the most vulnerable, yet dapper, privileged man alive. Like no other, Gere has the capacity to make us commoners sympathize with the needs and struggles of those … Continue reading →

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Homeland, Ep. 201: The Smile

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Between it’s stirring Season One finale and it’s Season Two premiere, much has been written about Homeland’s unique rise into the pantheon of contemporary television. Contemplation has gown over whether the show may be a digression back into forced drama … Continue reading →

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A Bond Newbie’s Thoughts on 007: Casino Royale

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Short Take: Overall, I’m impressed with my first real venture into the Bond world. While Casino Royale’s storytelling often seemed as disjointed as a hyperactive cat chasing an unraveling ball of yarn, I did always feel engaged. Spies kill. Just … Continue reading →

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Rare Kindness: The Intouchables

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Like so many contemporary Europeans movies, especially those coming out of France, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s The Intouchables – France’s 2013 Oscar submission – borrows a typically Hollywood aesthetic. Somehow, even when existing along predictable plot points, fit with … Continue reading →

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A Brand Name Artist’s America

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

The Master: From its Norman Rockwell-like wealth of colors, ones that run the gauntlet of the spectrum without playing favorites, to it’s sense of control and over-branded capitalism, The Master feels every bit like a slice of America. Albeit, this … Continue reading →

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REVIEW: Lawless

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

John Hillcoat has carved out a place in contemporary cinema that speaks to a bygone era where manhood and violence was a product of meditative poetry. Every straight-forward gush of blood in The Proposition or cold, desperate murder in The … Continue reading →

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REVIEW: Moneyball

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Zac Petrillo

Confidence. Those who have it can move mountains because they’re blessed with never being fearful or shrunken by self-doubt. Those who don’t have it can reduce monumental skill and talent amidst crippling insecurity. Moneyball tells the story of Billy Beane, … Continue reading →

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