This picture is insane. It is insanely complicated, not in of its plotting, rather on of its messiness. It grazes profound ideas regarding race, corruption, power, violence, hate, love, redemption, and the randomness that is life. Some of those ideas this story captures better than others. I think that this is probably the best outcome of a movie in the hands of a filmmaker who has some understanding of these issues, but their own ignorance shields him from…

Everything Duane Martin is doing works. It is the classic, cocky “I think I am better than I am, but in reality I am painfully insecure.” It is hard to say if he took away the right lessons from his experiences, but I think deferring to Shep & letting him cook shows some sign of maturity. Then again once he makes it out of his neighborhood, the guy shoots a go-ahead field goal over a TRIPLE TEAM to win a game.…

This film is phenomenal. The use of light. The cinematography. The camerawork. The casting. The acting. The music. The Ryan Gosling. This is far from an original thought, but much like Taxi Driver before it, Drive is a neo-Western. I liked this film on a first viewing, but viewing it through that lens gave new meaning. All of the archetypes read from a western, just transposed onto a cityscape, with refreshing results. Gosling’s character is the classic anti-hero down to…

This picture is best as a family drama, not a war movie. The cast is fantastic. I want this agenda dismissing Tobey Maguire’s acting talents to end right here and now. It has gone on for far too long. Natalie Portman is a prodigy of acting akin to few greats of any era. The emotional heart of this picture rests on her shoulders. Jake Gylenhaal is one of our greatest talents working today. The sensitivity and details, the color he…