The shadow of Alfred Hitchcock looms large in cinema. So much so that it’s hard to divorce his stylistic innovations from movies that may or may not have been influenced by him. Take Blow the Man Down, a recent release currently … Continue reading Two for the Master
Ad Astra, from filmmaker par excellence James Gray, opens with a shot of the cosmos, vast and terrifying. As the camera pans across the twinkling dots of a thousand suns, a lens flare catches the frame and briefly illuminates the … Continue reading AD ASTRA
For his first five films, writer/director James Gray set his stories in New York City. Makes sense, considering Gray is a born and raised New Yorker, but with his two most recent films, Gray looks far beyond the Burroughs. Releasing … Continue reading THE LOST CITY OF Z
2014, like any year prior to it, was a magnificent year for moviegoing. Granted, there were the duds, the sequels, the franchises, and, once again, a Michael Bay Transformers movie took the number one spot at the box office, but they … Continue reading 2014: A Year of Moviegoing
Two sisters have left Poland and joined the huddled masses seeking the freedom that America offers. Their quest will not be an easy one, as one of the sisters, Magda (Angela Sarafyan), has tuberculosis and must be quarantined. The other … Continue reading THE IMMIGRANT
Michael J. Cinema 