Contraband **1/2 Short Take: A former smuggler returns to his life of crime one last time to save a family member. Reel Take: Contraband, the American remake of a 2008 Icelandic thriller, sounds like a great vehicle for Mark Wahlberg. In many ways it is. He can utilize his streetContinue Reading
Wings (1927) Since this edition of Rapid River Magazine is going to be our Oscar edition, this month’s special DVD pick is the very first movie to win the Best Picture Oscar. It has just been released on Blu-Ray and DVD in pristine condition. The movie is Wings, a WorldContinue Reading
My Thoughts on the 2012 Oscars + My Picks by Chip Kaufmann Back at the very first Academy Awards ceremonies when Wings won for Best Picture (see special DVD pick), things were very different. Just like today’s Golden Globes there were awards given for Best Comedy in addition to BestContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: “Metropolis” Metropolis – Moroder Version (1984) When this updated version of the 1927 Fritz Lang classic, done by music producer Giorgio Moroder (Scarface), appeared in 1984, the idea of combining contemporary pop music with a silent film was considered sacrilege. Once the furor died down and theContinue Reading
Anonymous ***1/2 Short Take: Wildly inaccurate historical opus that, after a slow start, manages to be quite compelling with a wonderfully dramatic ending. Reel Take: Half an hour into Anonymous, my initial reaction was “Oh, dear! What have I gotten myself into?” but then everything changed for the better. TheContinue Reading
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows **** The new Sherlock Holmes sequel is bigger, more complicated, and much more of an action fest than the original. Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) ties a series of bombings to Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), his most diabolical rival who even Holmes struggles to keepContinue Reading
2011 turned out to be a better than average year in film – in some ways a great year. Other titles (not included in either of our lists) worthy of consideration and, more importantly, your patronage are The Help, Ides of March, The Iron Lady, Shame, and Win Win. ChipContinue Reading
