Three And Above

The Interview  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by:  Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen Written By:  Dan Sterling, Seth Rogen                  & Evan Goldberg Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen,                Randall Park, Lizzy Caplan                 Diana Bang Rating: 14A Release Date: December 25th, 2014 Diana Bang, Seth Rogen & James Franco in  The Interview © 2014 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved        Free speech is the cornerstone of democracy, no matter how dumb, offensive or misinformed it may be at times. If someone approaches you with an idiotic or misinformed opinion, approach them with yours. The truth prevails; like Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote in her biography of Voltaire: "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." When free speech is curbed, it leaves the powers that be with a grip on our very thoughts. One doesn't have to look far in history to see th

Die Hard  (1988) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by:  John McTiernan Written By:  Jeb Stuart & Steven E. de Souza, based               on Roderick Thorp's novel. Starring: Bruce Willis, Reginald VelJohnson,               Alan Rickman Rating: R Release Date: July 20th 1988 Bruce Willis in  Die Hard © 2012 Getty Images      Many people have their favourites. The original Miracle on 34th St ., A Christmas Story, and even Elf are all classics of the holiday season. Yet, one film trumps them all. A Christmas movie so good it didn't even have to come out on Christmas. The film that made Reginald VelJohnson a star. The 1988 smash action hit Die Hard.      Arriving in LA for his wife's office Christmas party at the new Nakatomi Plaza office building, John McClane is a tough NYPD cop who's chilly demeanour is antithetical to the sunny disposition of the average Angelino. Arriving late, tired and unimpressed the only thing that brightens

Jagten (The Hunt)  (2013) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by:  Thomas Vinterberg Written By: Tobias Lindholm &  Thomas Vinterberg Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen               Annika Wedderkopp Rating: R Release Date: July 19th 2013 Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt      To North American audiences, Mads Mikkelsen is best known for his roles in which he plays brutal, calculating killers. Mikkelsen has played everyone from the calculating, cold hearted genius Le Chiffre in Casino Royale , the brute mute One Eye in Valhalla , and most recently, Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the television series of the same name. Yet, in The Hunt , in his native tongue, (Danish), Mikkelsen plays the exact opposite; a kind, gentle, subdued and intelligent man, looking to merely keep those around him happy. It's the world that surrounds him in The Hunt that is evil.      The Hunt follows Lucas, (Mikkelsen), a divorced father of one and kindergarten teacher in rural

The Giver  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Phillip Noyce Written by: Michael Mitnick & Robert B. Weide,                    adapted from Lois Lowry's novel Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep,          Alexander  Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift Rating: PG Release Date: August 15th 2014 Jeff Bridges and Brenton Thwaites in The Giver © 2014 - The Weinstein Company      Too often in Hollywood, ambitious ideas are anchored down by a multitude of factors; a minuscule budget, actors who are difficult to work with, creative differences or inexperienced technical workers behind the camera. Films like Southland Tales, the Postman , and even The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus were all ambitious ideas that could have been ground-breaking classics, but were thrown off track by the perils of collaboration. While it does have more positive factors than negative ones, the Giver suffers the same shortcomings.       Based on

Killing Them Softly  (2012) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Andrew Dominik Written By: Andrew Dominik, based on                  the novel by George V. Higgins Starring: Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, Ben Mendelsohn, Scott McNairy Rating: 18A Release Date: November 30th 2012 Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly  © 2011 - The Weinstein Co.       Some artists don't paint for an audience. Some musicians compose for themselves. Andrew Dominik directs for his own enjoyment. Unless you like being constantly lectured to,  Killing Them Softly is likely a film you won't enjoy. Dominik isn't directing for moneys sake, and he definitely isn't pandering to a target market. He simply has a story to tell. And what a story it is.      Killing Them Softly follows Jackie Cogan, a highly regarded contract killer in the United States, in the year 2008. The recession is in full force and even the mob is having to tightening its

Silver Linings Playbook  (2012) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: David O. Russell  Written By: David O. Russell, based on                    Matthew Quick's book Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence,               Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker Rating: 14A Release Date: November 21st 2012 Jennifer Lawrence & Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook  © 2012 - The Weinstein Company      One of the key elements to discovering how great a film truly is, is its repeat value. The Sound of Music, Total Recall, Fight Club, and  Animal House , are all different genres, but I find myself full of glee every time they find their way on to my television. Regardless of genre, if a film is rewarding each and every time you view it, that says a lot about its value as a film and as a work of art. Silver Linings Playbook is one of those films.      Silver Linings Playbook follows Pat, (Bradley Cooper), the day he's released from mandat

The Theory of Everything  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: James Marsh Written By: Anthony McCarten, based on                    Jane Hawking's book Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones               David Thewlis Rating: G Release Date: September 7th 2014 Felicity Jones & Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything Photo by Liam Daniel - © UNIVERSAL PICTURES INTERNATIONAL      2014 has been a year of cinematic surprises; from the grandiosity and masterful filmmaking in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar , (slowly rising through my ranks as my top contender for the best film of 2014), to the minimalist thriller Nightcrawler , the fall of 2014 has been rising to exceed my cinematic expectations. Marsh's The Theory of Everything is no different. Jake Gyllenhaal's performance in Nightcrawler  was masterful, brooding and unsettling. In my November review I remarked that I, " sincerely doubt anyone can hold a candle to Gyl

As Above, So Below  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: John Erick Dowdle Written By: John & Drew Dowdle Starring: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman                Edwin Hodge Rating: 14A Release Date: August 29th 2014 Perdita Weeks & Ben Feldman in As Above, So Below Photo by Bruno Calvo - © 2014 - Universal Pictures       The last week of August is well known as the dumping ground for awful movies. Generally the last week of summer vacation for students and adults alike, it's a place where studios can quietly rid themselves of films that didn't quite turn out the way they had hoped. However, there's a multitude of reasons a studio can dump a film, and quality isn't always one of them. Similar to other quietly released films like  Idiocracy and The One I Love , the problem with As Above, So Below is it's concept. It's hard to sell a high concept film to a mass audience. For every Inception that is allowed to hit the mainstr

The Two Faces of January  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Hossein Amini Written By: Hossein Amini,  Based on                     Patricia Highsmith's novel Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac,                 Kirsten Dunst Rating: PG Release Date: November 1st 2014 Viggo Mortensen in The Two Faces of January Photo by Jack English - © 2014 - StudioCanal      From the opening shots of Hossein Amini's The Two Faces of January, it's obvious we're entering a pre-existing world. Spouting off ancient Greek myths and legends on the steps of the Parthenon, Rydel, (Oscar Isaac), lets loose a narrative that is rich in style, wit and depravity; much like Greek myths and legends themselves. The Two Faces of January follows Rydel, a tour guide and small time con man as he falls into the mysterious world of Chester and Colette MacFarland, (Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst). Finding common ground as Americans, the three hit it off, travel