| Fringe Blog – Writing on Film, Culture, and Things on the Fringe

Primeval

By jelewis8 ⋅ January 18, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

The trailer to Primeval made it appear to be the odd combination of a Steve Irwin wild animal kingdom show with a murder mystery, which despite the juxtaposition, interested me because, well, I’m a sucker for African animals doing devastating things to human beings. Case in point, The Ghost and the Darkness, which, whilst not [...]

The Holiday

By jelewis8 ⋅ January 16, 2007 ⋅ One comment

I watched The Holiday with my girlfriend, which gave it a boost in credibility from the outset. However, from the first frame on, the filmmakers insisted on making Cameron Diaz its star, instead of the more worthy Kate Winslet. The result is a bifurcated plot in which three quarters of the movie is spent with [...]

Apocalypto

By jelewis8 ⋅ December 18, 2006 ⋅ One comment

Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is a strangely titled film. It sounds vaguely like a bad sci-fi title concept from the 1970′s, but it’s about an ancient Mayan culture on the verge of collapse. But what Mel’s really getting at is our own present state. Are we bloodthirsty, religious fanatics whose blindness to the truth of our [...]

Casino Royale

By jelewis8 ⋅ December 6, 2006 ⋅ 5 comments

The obvious thing about the new Bond is he’s new. Daniel Craig is the wounded and damaged Bond just beginning his service to the Queen, amassing both his kills required for double-O status in a brutal and icing performance that will have viewers wondering just who this fellow is who relies not on quips and [...]

The Departed

By jelewis8 ⋅ October 24, 2006 ⋅ One comment

The Departed, Martin Scorcese’s return to relative roots, is his most entertaining film in a decade, if his least inventive. Based on a Hong Kong film entitled Infernal Affairs, Scorcese, along with his notable cast of Bostonites and outsiders attempting to play Bostonites, relocates to New England, adds an Irish flair, and punches viewers in [...]

Black Gold

By jelewis8 ⋅ August 26, 2006 ⋅ One comment

The filmmakers of Black Gold promise that your coffee will not taste the same after seeing the documentary. While this may be artistic hyperbole, the film is terribly striking in its presentation of the economic crisis in Ethiopia, and the devastating effects of multi-national coffee conglomerations’ low payment thresholds for the Ethiopian farmers responsible for [...]

Snakes On A Plane

By jelewis8 ⋅ August 22, 2006 ⋅ 2 comments

Snakes On A Plane does not pretend to be a great movie. It does not put on airs, or give itself license to imagine it is great. It is trailer house trash designed to appeal to the puerile, adolescent mind whose only requirement is vapid entertainment of the sort normally seen in Wile E. Coyote [...]

Lady In The Water

By jelewis8 ⋅ July 25, 2006 ⋅ One comment

I was under the impression that the single-most destructive force on the planet was a simple Texan named Chuck Norris. Next to him is the power of the atom, which, when split, releases the primal energy of the universe into a mushroom shaped cloud of death, destruction, and nuclear radiation for miles and miles. These [...]

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest

By jelewis8 ⋅ July 12, 2006 ⋅ One comment

The newest spectacle to hit viewers’ tired and vaguely entertained retinas is probably the most impressive outing we’ll get all summer, but don’t let that fool you. Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest is a mish mash of a movie, one that borrows any and all devices to convince its audience that something [...]

Superman Returns

By jelewis8 ⋅ July 5, 2006 ⋅ 4 comments

Superman has returned, though for this disenchanted moviegoer’s money, he could have just stayed in whatever galaxy he’s been in, far away from here. The impact would be about the same. It’s not to say I don’t respect the idea of resurrecting a 1940′s nearly invincible superhero with unlimited power…okay, actually I don’t. The guy [...]

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