Three And Above

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...

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...

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 Ince...

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 MacFa...

The Expendables 3  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Patrick Hughes Written By: Sylvester Stallone,  Creighton Rothenberger,                   Katrin Benedikt, and Dave Callaham Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger,               Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson Rating: PG Release Date: August 15th 2014 Jason Statham & Wesley Snipes compare 'knife size' in The Expendables 3 © 2014 - Lionsgate      In the late 1980's just one of the stars of The Expendables 3 would have received an eight figure salary. To make a movie this size back then would have been astronomically expensive. Today, while it was by no means an indie film,  Expendables 3 was made with more heart than cold hard cash. With most stars doing the film for their love of machismo cinema , the latest Expendables film is the most fun in a franc...

Hard Core Logo  (1996) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Bruce McDonald Written by: Noel S. Baker, based on                   Michael Turner's novel Starring: Hugh Dillon,  Callum Keith Rennie,                 Bruce McDonald Rating: 14A Release Date: October 25th, 1996 Hugh Dillon and Callum Keith Rennie in Hard Core Logo © Copyright 1996 - Miramax Films - All rights reserved.       Hard Core Logo  is essential Canadian cinema - a mockumentary, in the cruelest sense of the word - this is the film Guy Maddin has been trying to make his entire career, (Maddin's somewhat similar  My Winnipeg was whimsical as well as funny, but ultimately pointless and meandering). Bruce McDonald's punk-opus is not only essential canuck cinema, but quintessential punk rock cinema. No film before or since has so perfectly captured the rebel-without-a-cau...

22 Jump Street  (2014) A Review by Grant Kanigan Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Written by: Oren Uziel, Rodney Rothman,                   Michael Bacall,  & Jonah Hill Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube,                Jillian Bell, Nick Offerman Rating: 14A Release Date: June 6th 2014 Jonah Hill, Ice Cube & Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street Photo by Glen Wilson - © 2013 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. IMAGE IS THE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC.      22 Jump Street is the most ridiculous movie of the year. In a cinematic landfill of remakes and sequels, 22 Jump Street gleefully sits on the top, keenly aware of it's position. The difference between this raucous sequel and others, is it knows exactly what it is, and how overwhelmingly ridiculous it is.  While some self awa...