Review - American Sniper

Pulling a trigger may be the single most dehumanizing act there is. Every time one person makes the conscious decision to end the life of another, they lose a part of themselves that cannot be retrieved. Most people would grow ill at the thought of performing this act even once. What kind of person would it take to have done it 160 times? How would he/she feel?

In Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, we're introduced to the real-life figure that epitomizes the moral quandary at the root of killing for one's country; NAVY Seal Chris Kyle, who became the deadliest shot in U.S. military history over the course of four tours in Iraq, earning him the nickname 'Legend'. But an introduction is not the same as an examination, and as riveting an introduction it is at times, it does not delve deep enough into the man behind the 'legend'.

Review - Jersey Boys

When I first saw a touring company production of the Tony-winning Broadway smash Jersey Boys several years ago, my first reaction was, “this show would make a great movie!” I know that's an odd plaudit to bestow upon a piece of live theatre, especially a jukebox musical that follows the tired old showbiz & stardom narrative of rise-then-fall-then-rise-again, but there was something about this play's fluid pageantry and explosive musicality that just sparkled with cinematic potential. Naturally, my thoughts went to playing armchair producer as I imagined all the dynamic filmmakers I'd love to see run with this material (Martin Scorsese, Baz Luhrmann, and Bill Condon are just a few that came to mind).

But probably the last name I'd have considered to fill the director's chair on this project was Clint Eastwood. The American journeyman's staid formalism didn't seem like it would jive with the infectious rhythms of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' bustling pop-rock hits, let alone the almost caricatured energy of the stage show's characters. So it's understandable that I was nervously intrigued when it came to light that The Man With No Name himself would be producing and directing the film adaption.

There is no God...

Clint Eastwood to desecrate remake the classic musical A Star Is Born, with Beyonce to try and fill the unfillable ruby slippers of Judy Garland.

Somebody shoot me in the head.