The Man Who Laughs, 1928

Based on Victor Hugo‘s 1889 novel L’Homme qui rit (1889), The Man Who Laughs is an American silent film directed by German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni during the transition between silent films and “talkies” (films with sound). I became interested in this film after I read a review by Roger Ebert, who portrayed it as “a melodrama, at times even aContinue reading “The Man Who Laughs, 1928”

The Thief and the Cobbler (1993?) An Unfinished Masterpiece

  UPDATE!: On June 1, 2014, “A Moment in Time” was screened in London, with many of the original crew present of his original vision and work prints. Hopefully there might have been plans to re-release it in the United States.     This one of the hardest reviews that I will ever write. Since IContinue reading “The Thief and the Cobbler (1993?) An Unfinished Masterpiece”

紅の豚 Kurenai no Buta (Porco Rosso) 1992

  When I was a young child I had the pleasure, without even knowing it, of growing up with one of Hayao Miyazaki‘s most famous films My Neighbor Totoro (1988). My mother remembers how upset I was when she gave the film away, and to this day it remains one of my favorites. That beingContinue reading “紅の豚 Kurenai no Buta (Porco Rosso) 1992”

The Book Thief (2013)

When I heard that Markus Zusak‘s infamous work The Book Thief would be made into a movie I was intrigued and skeptical. Usually, movies based on popular books are mediocre, like The Tale of Despareaux 2008, or unbearable to watch (like Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief). There are of course exceptions like Life of Pi 2012, and the first two Harry PotterContinue reading “The Book Thief (2013)”

The Hobbit or There and Back Again (1937)

  I remember reading this book when I was thirteen and I don’t recall being impressed by it. This was most likely because I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Tolkien’s other complicated works like The Silmarillion. The book probably was too simple for me to fully appreciate at such a young age. Yes,Continue reading “The Hobbit or There and Back Again (1937)”