Ip Man (2008)

Ip Man (2008)

Everyone knows who Bruce Lee is, as arguably the most famous of all movie martial artists dead or alive, Bruce’s legacy transcends time and will not be fading anytime soon. So the opportunity to hear… well better yet, see the life of the man who taught Bruce Lee is an appealing one to put things simply. Ip Man was a master of Wing Chun who lived a life of...

Red Cliff (2008)

Red Cliff (2008)

Director John Woo’s Red Cliff is a dramatically poetic movie based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms a historical novel written by Luo Guonzhang. If you aren’t familiar with the Three Kingdoms story – it chronicles the ambitions of three men, love and the wonderful Generals that followed their lead. The three men are Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and Cao Cao....

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Like it’s name, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford will be misunderstood as being too long, too historical or too boring. If you ever read a review that uses the word boring to completely discredit a movie without any explanations why, you should probably stop reading. What I saw in this movie, was a masterpiece of excellent acting,...

Public Enemies (2009)

Public Enemies (2009)

With Billie Holiday singing her heart out and the subtle details of cracked nail polish and $3 dresses, Public Enemies brings you into the era of the Great Depression without boring you with backstories and explanations. It is an honest bio-pic with little factual variations outside of John Dillinger’s romantic ambitions. It is an entertaining backseat...

American Gangster

American Gangster

“This is America!” Three famous words as cited by Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) in the bio-pic American Gangster . As an old gangster historian and student to organized crime, it would not be fair for me to say my anticipation for this movie was one of excitement. No it is needless to say that I expected the same crap Hollywood typically does in taking...

300

300

King Leonidas, reared and forged as a warrior and gleaned to perfection as a symbol of Sparta and her standards is the focus of Frank Miller’s 300. His tale is one of self sacrifice and unwavering loyalty, about 300 men who stood their ground before millions of invaders with the mantle of freedom as their guide. Along the way we are treated to treacherous...