David O. Russell's first feature in eight years, "Amsterdam" starts with the line "A lot of this actually happened." The reality is most of this didn't happen, and only one character has a real-world counterpart who uncovered what was later dubbed the "Business Plot." Fortunately, it's the fictional aspects of "Amsterdam" that are the most [...]
When Michael Mann's iconic film "Heat" first came out in 1995, it was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, and went on to influence many subsequent filmmakers. Now, twenty-seven years later, Michael Mann, in collaboration with the Edgar Award winning writer Meg Gardiner, has released the novel “Heat 2,” which is both a prequel and a [...]
As the credits rolled on “The War with Grandpa,” I couldn’t help but smile. I enjoyed the antics between Robert De Niro, who plays Ed, and his grandson, Peter (Oakes Fegley). The antics rival "Home Alone" in their physicality, and the film is probably something that Disney would have made in the 1990s. That wasn’t [...]
"Joker" is the improbable convergence of a character study, comic book, and exploitation film. Depending on which of those genres you choose to judge it, the movie either soars or stumbles. The one constant is Joaquin Phoenix's enthralling performance. The movie takes place in Gotham City during the year 1981. Gotham City is suffering an [...]
“The Comedian” – Although Robert De Niro is known for starring in gritty dramas, he is not a complete stranger to comedies with “Midnight Run” (1988), “Wag the Dog” (1997), “Analyze This” (1999), and “Meet the Parents” (2000) proudly standing on his resume. He also famously played an unforgettable stand-up comic named Rupert Pupkin – [...]
