Concussion written and directed by Peter Landesman Rating ***** Whenever I see a film that was written and directed by the same person, I’m always a bit leery. It seldom works. Sometimes, however, magic is created. Some of the better examples of successful writer/director films are Titanic, Risky Business, Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, and Jerry Maguire […]
True Story book vs film
May 14, 2016 By 1 Comment
True Story by Michael Finkel Rating ***** True Story directed by Rupert Goold, screenplay by Rupert Goold and David Kaiganich Rating *** 1/2 Over the years I have covered a number of book and film adaptations. There’s something about reading a book and then being able to watch a dramatization of that story immediately after. […]
2015 is a banner year for nonfiction films
December 17, 2015 By Leave a Comment
I’ve been quiet as far as my posts on this site are concerned. The demands of my schedule and my own projects have prevented me from posting as much as I would like. But that hasn’t stopped me from reading and seeing some great nonfiction stories. If you’re looking for some recommendations after seeing the […]
Project Greenlight and how not to make a film
November 6, 2015 By Leave a Comment
I’ll start off by saying that I love the concept of Project Greenlight, a behind the scenes series on the making of a feature film. I also think that HBO is the right vehicle to deliver that series. I was able to watch all eight episodes on demand followed by an on demand viewing of […]
Will the real Phil Spector please stand up
March 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Review of HBO’s Phil Spector written and directed by David Mamet Rating *** So David Mamet decides he wants to tell the story of Phil Spector and the murder, or suicide, or accidental death of Lana Clarkson. David believes that Phil is innocent. He lays out a convincing argument for his case. He enlists the help […]
Review of Zero Dark Thirty
February 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Review of Zero Dark Thirty written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow Rating ***** In a previous post, I said that the film The Impossible was my pick for best picture of 2012. Since that picture wasn’t one of the nominated pictures, this film would be my second pick. As much as I […]
Best of Everything Nonfiction 2012
December 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
It’s been a busy year for me. I haven’t been able to see as many films as I would have liked. I haven’t been able to read as many books as I would have liked. And it looks like going forward in 2013 I’m going to have even less time as I work on my […]
My take on the film Lincoln
December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Review of Lincoln written by Tony Kushner and directed by Steven Spielberg Rating *** 1/2 I’m giving this film a three-and-a-half rating out of five. And for those who follow this blog, they might know that at year’s end when I put together the best of Everything Nonfiction list, only reviews of four stars or […]
An open letter to Robert Zemeckis and the makers of Flight
November 8, 2012 By 3 Comments
Robert, why? I’m a huge fan of yours. I had such high hopes that finally a skilled director might make an aviation film that was realistic, believable, as well as entertaining. You did such a good job with the crash scene in Cast Away. So how could you make a film with so many cringe […]
Argo book vs film
October 17, 2012 By 2 Comments
Argo (book) – Written by Tony Mendez and Matt Baglio Rating **** 1/2 Argo (Film) – Written by Chris Terrio, Directed by Ben Affleck Rating **** 1/2 The last book versus film review I did was Moneyball. I liked both but criticised the filmmakers for fabricating parts of the story. The same is true in […]
Review of We Bought a Zoo
June 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Review of We Bought a Zoo directed by Cameron Crowe, written by Cameron Crowe and Aline Brosh McKenna Rating **** 1/2 I didn’t have high expectations going into this film. But I was more than pleasantly surprised. This film is a gem, equally as good as Jerry Magurie. The film is based on the book […]
Everything The Donner Party
June 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Desperate Passage: The Donner Party by Ethan Rarick Rating ***** When ever I get the opportunity, I like to get totally immersed in a story. This usually involves a story that is told in more than one medium: book, film, or documentary. Two recent examples covered in this blog are the HBO series The Pacific […]
Moneyball: Book vs Film
January 19, 2012 By 1 Comment
Moneyball by Michael Lewis – Rating **** 1/2 Moneyball the film directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Zorkin Rating **** I always enjoy having the option to read a book and then seeing that book come to life in film. This blog is full of examples of this. One that comes to […]
A Review of The Conspirator
August 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A review of The Conspirator written by James D. Solomon and directed by Robert Redford Rating **** 1/2 I’m not sure how well this film did at the box office. My recollection is that it got mixed reviews and probably didn’t make a whole lot of money, at least not in theatres. My guess, though, […]
Review of Soul Surfer
August 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Review of Soul Surfer directed by Sean McNamara and written by Sean McNamara, Matt Allen, and Brad Gann Rating **** I’ve never surfed, though I would jump at the opportunity if it presented itself. Since starting this blog I’ve covered a number of stories revolving around surfing. One was a documentary I highly recommend called […]
