Matthew R. Reis: Film and TV Critic

Not Dreddful at all Blog exclusive! Although a mighty bomb at both the domestic and international box office, this remake of 1995s "Judge Dredd" is worth a watch. "Dredd" does away with the camp that made the first movie a mess in the eyes of fans of the comic it was based on. Starring Karl Urban as the macho title character and boasting a diverse, interesting cast of supporting characters "Dredd" succeeded all of my expectations. Those expectations I might add were very, very low. When I first saw the trailer for the film I cast it aside. I assumed it was directed by some talentless hack. However something strange happened when Rottentomatoes.com, a popular aggregate film review site certified "Dredd" fresh. The near universal acclaim for the movie surprised me and it started to become clear that the marketing department did the film a disservice by releasing such a bad trailer (which fyi is embedded below). And though I have never have p...

George Clooney is the American 4 Stars As featured in: The Ithacan As Batman George Clooney was laughable, as the American, he’s no joker. Dark and brooding from the get-go “The American” is a film with sparse action, but plenty of burning passion. Anton Corbijn, famous for directing music videos such as Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” helms the picture. Adapted from the 1990 novel “A Very Private Gentleman” the film takes place during the 2000s. Remarkably original for a film whose trailers marketed it as a gray haired Jason Bourne flick, the plot simmers over a long period of time, gradually building tension, momentum and intrigue. One of the many things to savor in this film is its distinctly non-American feel. From the minimalistic dialogue, wandering, free flowing camera and sparsely populated locations “The American” mirrors European cinema to a tee. It’s only logical that the film takes place in Europe with stops in Castel del Monte, Italy, Rome, Italy and Dalarna, Sweden. ...