Three And Above

Sunset Boulevard  (1950) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Billy Wilder Written by: Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder                    & D.M. Marshman Jr.  Starring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson               Erich von Stroheim Rating: PG Release Date: August 10th 1950 Erich von Stronheim, William Holden & Gloria Swanson get ready for their close-ups in Sunset Boulevard Paramount/MPTV      Billy Wilder is one of the most interesting filmmakers from the classic-era of cinema. Some Like It Hot, Sunset Boulevard,  and The Apartment  are all considered celluloid classics, and all have distinct, unique milieux. Wilder was a master of his craft; able to make effective cinema in genres as different as comedy, horror and drama, (for the record, the closing line of Some Like It Hot ; " Well, nobody's perfect! " remains the funniest line ever captured on camera). Sunset Boulevard, then, may be his crowning achievement.        Sunset Boulev

The Fast & The Furious Franchise  (2001-2015) A Retrospective & Review by Grant Kanigan Vin Diesel & Paul Walker cross the finish line in The Fast and the Furious     As Owen Shaw, (Luke Evans), explains to Dominic Toretto in Furious 6 , it's inspiring to see "A street kid, start[ing] out stealing DVD players in East L.A., [and] end[ing] up heisting $100 million in Rio," years later. It's also ridiculous, absolutely illogical and completely insane. Yet, with a diverse cast led by a capable Vin Diesel, The Fast & The Furious has also become one of the most successful franchises in cinematic history. Before I review the brilliantly entertaining seventh entry, I'd like to take a few paragraphs to walk through the films leading up to the latest instalment, and explore how a simple racing flick released in 2001 spawned a multi- billion dollar franchise: The Fast & the Furious, (2001) Directed by: Rob Cohen Written by: Gary Sco