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THE CONSPIRATOR: Court In Session

Posted April 15, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> Watch It At Home:  Scrupulously accurate, to a fault. In an era that so recently gave us “The Kennedys,” possibly the worst piece of pop culture history ever produced for American television, it seems downright rude to criticize Robert Redford’s new film THE CONSPIRATOR for sticking to the facts.  Accuracy and drama, however, are […]

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THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

Posted August 5, 2011 by Mitch Salem

    RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Worth A Ticket:  Simian Power   Although it’s positioned as the last big adventure epic of the summer, for most of its length Rupert Wyatt’s RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES isn’t really an action movie.  Somewhat surprisingly, while it establishes an alternative mythology […]

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THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “Sarah’s Key”

Posted July 23, 2011 by Mitch Salem

  SARAH’S KEY – Watch It At Home:  Misses a Difficult Mark     There may be no cinematic minefield more dangerous for filmmakers than the Holocaust.  For films entering that difficult territory, the choices of tone, approach and imagery may not just be called into question, but outright offend audiences, and viewers have very […]

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THE SHOWBUZZDAILY RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”

Posted July 9, 2011 by Mitch Salem

    Everything is a little smoother in 2002’s HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS.  The young actors give more assured performances; Steve Kloves’ script, having gotten so much exposition out of its way in Sorcerer’s Stone, is faster and more character-based; the camerawork (by Roger Pratt instead of John Seale) is more fluid; […]

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SHOWBUZZDAILY 2011 IN REVIEW: THE HONORABLE MENTIONS

Posted January 1, 2012 by Mitch Salem

> It’s actually harder to come up with a manageable list of Honorable Mention movies than a Top 10, because there are so many films that are eminently worth seeking out and seeing, but perhaps a little bit flawed–sometimes too thin, sometimes too audacious for their own good.  It wouldn’t have been much of a […]

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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES” – Take the Train

Posted May 20, 2011 by Mitch Salem

> Watch It At Home; Dreary Franchise Moviemaking. In the 137 minutes of Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides, the 4th installment in Disney’s hugely successful franchise (and yes, you have to sit through all 10 minutes of end credits for a not-crucial coda scene), there is exactly one inspired idea.  About halfway through, […]

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THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “The Thing”

Posted October 13, 2011 by Mitch Salem

    THE THING:  Watch It At Home – Not Interesting Enough To Be Scary   The third movie iteration of THE THING is as impersonal as the creature it’s about.  This version, the first feature directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr and with a script credited to Eric Heisserer (he wrote the remake of […]

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THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “30 Minutes Or Less”

Posted August 12, 2011 by Mitch Salem

  30 MINUTES OR LESS – Watch It At Home:  Doesn’t Deliver   The frustration of 30 MINUTES OR LESS is that of all the R-rated comedies this summer, it was the one with the most original premise and promising credentials:  direction by Ruben Fleischer, the man behind the surprisingly smart and funny hit Zombieland, […]

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