With theaters still not operating, for the most part, many of us are looking to streaming services to watch movies, new and not so new. With this category on this blog, I will explore the films I believe are the absolute best of the 21st Century so far. Director: Denis Villeneuve Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forrest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg   Films about alien arrival don’t tend to be considered “great” comparatively with other film genres. Entertaining, perhaps, but not truly great. Quite often we deal with a plot in which a hostile race of aliens comes to Earth with a nefarious purpose. “Captive State” with John Goodman and Ashton Sanders is a recent example, and it is a good film.   “Arrival” proves that in the right hands, films of this genre can reach higher and make the most of their opportunities. They can be intellectual without being academic. They can dispense with the combat and still enthrall their audiences. The opening monologue is the key. ...

One Night in Miami Four stars Director: Regina King Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom Jr., Aldis Hodge, Eli Goree February 25, 1964 was a big day for 22 year-old Cassius Clay. He met Sonny Liston in Miami for the first time and beat him to become Heavyweight champ. And according to this film from Kemp Power and Regina King, his night was far from over. This film tells the story of a celebratory meeting before and after the fight, of Clay (Eli Goree), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), football great Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir). It speculates on just what was said and done during the historic meeting at the Hampton House Hotel. And in light of racial unrest during the summer of 2020, this film is particularly poignant and relevant. After the fight, Clay, Cooke and Brown were under the impression that there was going to be a celebration. But Malcolm X had other plans, some that were far more sobering than taking an uppercut in the boxing ring. Though it isn’t ...

  Time Capsule: 2010 It was an eventful year, certainly. How accurately do you remember the major events? Here's a little reminder. The New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl and the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. Lord Stanley’s Cup went to the Montreal Canadiens and Kobe Bryant and the Lakers took the NBA championship. The U.S. witnessed one of the worst ecological disasters in history when an offshore oil rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded and leaked millions of gallons of oil into The Gulf of Mexico. The Tea Party was formed and helped the GOP gain the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. economy was still recovering after the housing bubble burst in 2008. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Citizens United was law and Apple’s iPad arrived. The top television shows were “Breaking Bad,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Mad Men.” Cee Lo Green had the top hit with “Forget You.” The top grossing movies for the year, according to boxofficemojo...

  With theaters still not operating, for the most part, many of us are looking to streaming services to watch movies, new and not so new. With this category on this blog, I will explore the films I believe are the absolute best of the 21st Century so far. Atonement 2007 Four stars Directed by Joe Wright (based on the novel by Ian McEwan) Stars: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saiorse Ronan, Ramona Gurai, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brenda Blethyn. I recently asked my cinephile friends what films inspired their most visceral reactions. And I received some great answers like “Jaws,” “Blue Velvet,” “Schindler’s List,” “The Elephant Man” and “Serpico.” I was confronted with providing a few selections of my own. And while “Mulholland Drive” is certainly right at the top of my list, no matter how many times I watch it, “Atonement” inspires the same reaction every time I watch it: discomfort and heartbreak. Discomfort because the one event that changes three lives forever revolves arou...

  Ah 2004, we remember it well, don’t we? Texting on flip phones and having to press one key three times to get the letter we wanted. “Friends,” “CSI,” and “ER” were still on network television in prime time. Janet Jackson had her infamous “wardrobe mishap” during the halftime show at the Super Bowl (won by the New England Patriots). The Boston Red Sox won the World Series, the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup and the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship. And ultimately John Kerry would lose the Presidential election to incumbent George W. Bush. The U.S. was still mired in the War in Iraq, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was uncovered, former President Ronald Reagan died and dial-up Internet was on its way to extinction.   The top films at the box office were (according to Box Office Mojo): 1. Shrek 2 2. Spider-Man 2 3. The Passion of the Christ 4. Meet the Fockers 5. The Incredibles 6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 7. The Day After Tomorrow 8. The Po...