Days of De Palma Returns!
I am a sucker for series. Whether we’re talking about novels, comic-books, TV shows, or movies, I love long-form story-telling. When it comes to stories, I love continuity rather than one-offs. I’m also something of a collector/completist at heart. These qualities
Josh Reviews This is Where I Leave You
This is Where I Leave You is written by Jonathan Tropper, adapting his book of the same name, and directed by Shawn Levy, who has directed many popular comedic films, none of which I have ever had any interest in seeing. (These films include the two Cheaper By the Dozen films, the S
Josh Reviews The Drop
Written by Dennis Lehane (adapting his own short story), The Drop is an extraordinary crime story, one that is hugely compelling and brutally tough. I loved it. Tom Hardy plays Bob, the bartender at a small dive in Brooklyn called Cousin Marv’s. Marv, played by James Gandolf
Josh Reviews Tusk
I’m a huge fan of Kevin Smith. I like his movies, and more than that, I like Mr. Smith himself. He’s a great character and a hilarious story-teller. There have been some fantastically-packed DVD and blu-ray releases of his earlier films, and sometimes I think the spe
From the DVD Shelf: Josh Reviews Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
I am a huge fan, over-all, of the Jack Ryan film series and I believe this is a character, and a series, that still has quite a lot of gas in its tank. What a disappointment, then, to watch the latest installment, the rebooted Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and discover a total waste of
Josh Reviews Jodorowsky’s Dune
The history of the movies is filled with wonderfully intriguing projects that never got made. A few years back I wrote about the wonderful documentary Lost in La Mancha, which told the tale of Terry Gilliam’s failed attempt at making a Don Quixote film starring Johnny Depp.
Batman: Assault on Arkham
I have soured recently on the DC Animated direct-to-DVD/blu-ray releases, and I’m afraid their latest release, Batman: Assault on Arkham, does little to change my general impression that this line of animated films has lost its way. This film had a few things going for it off th
Josh Reviews Sin City: Dame to Kill For
For me, growing up, Frank Miller was one of the gods of comic books. He seemed to be a master of the form of a super-hero comic-book, crafting some of the finest mainstream super-hero comic-book stories I had ever read (his long run on Daredevil; Batman: Year One; The Dark Knight Re
Josh Reviews Dear Mr. Watterson
The materials for Joel Allen Schroeder’s film Dear Mr. Watterson describe it as “a documentary film about the impact of the best comic strip in the history of the universe.” That’s a funny line, but also accurate, as I do believe that Bill Watterson’s C
Josh Reviews Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
I knew of Elaine Stritch mostly from her spectacular recurring role on 30 Rock as Jack (Alec Baldwin)’s imposing mother. But that was more than enough to interest me in Chiemi Karasawa’s recent documentary about her, titled Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me. Filmed in 2013 and re