 Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, War
Run Time: 1 hours, 53 minutes, Rated R Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, David Thewlis, David Hayman Directed by Justin Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders) Most people who make it through high school are familiar with Shakespeare's famous play "Macbeth," and it seems to be a role that most "serious" actors will attempt at some point in their careers. The tragedy, about a Scottish General who, inspired by a prophecy and goaded by his wife, ascends to the throne, only to become a tyrannical, paranoid ruler himself. It is a story about war, death and the pitfalls of blind ambition, of how power can corrupt any man who does not keep his aspirations in check. Many of the great directors have attempted to adapt Macbeth for the big-screen, including Orson Welles, Roman Polanski and Akira Kurosawa (whose "Throne of Blood" is a Macbeth adaptation). The latest incarnation, Macbeth (opening today), comes to us from Australian director, Justin Kurzel, and he manages to breathe new life into portions of the story, while at the same time leaving large chunks of Shakespeare's original prose on the cutting room floor.
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 Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Action, Biography, War
Run Time: 2 hours 14 minutes, Rated R Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman Based on the book by Chris Kyle Written by Jason Hall (Paranoia, Spread) At the ripe old age of 84, Clint Eastwood is one of the hardest working directors in Hollywood these days, churning out movies at about the same pace as Woody Allen (roughly one per year over the past two decades). Although he has directed several films exploring the U.S. Military (Heartbreak Ridge, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima to name a few), he delivers a successful direct hit with his latest effort, American Sniper (opening today.)  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Foreign, Drama, Thriller, War
Run Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes, Not Rated Starring: Saskia Rosendahl, Nele Trebs, Andre Frid, Mika Seidel, Ursina Lardi Co-Written & Directed by Cate Shortland (Somersault) Where are the foreign comedies? It seems that every foreign film that makes it to stateside theaters deals with heavily dramatic fare, usually involving powerful, often times depressing, subject matter. But when such a film if beautifully made like Lore (now playing exclusively at the Main Art Theater in Royal Oak), all is forgiven.  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, War, History
Run Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Matthew Fox, Kaori Momoi, Eriko Hatsune Directed by Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring, Hannibal Rising) Sometimes fascinating historical nuggets don't translate into feature-length features very well and the new film Emperor (opening today) is the latest example of such.  4 out of 5 starsGenre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Opens locally Friday, February 24th, 2012 Run Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes, Rated R Starring: Real-life Navy SEALs Directed by Mike McCoy & Scott Waugh (feature film debut) Act of Valor is an exhibition of authenticity like we've never seen before.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, War
Opens locally Christmas Day, December 25th, 2011 Run Time: 2 hours 26 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup, David Thewlis Directed by Steven Spielberg On the heels of Wednesday’s The Adventures of Tintin comes another Steven Spielberg film, War Horse. I am not usually a huge fan of horse-themed movies, but War Horse is an epic and touching journey that is by far the better of the two Spielberg films you’ll find in theatres over the holidays. |
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality, host and
the Executive Producer of Movie Show Plus.
He also is the featured film critic appearing on WXYZ Channel 7 Action News in Detroit,
and appeared weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit from 2016-2020.
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