Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (MI4)

YouTube Preview

The following appeared in the Jerusalem Post print and online December 2011

Jerusalem Post Link

PDF to be published soon

Note the following is the original submission and does not include changes by the editor

________________________________

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (MI4) is this year’s best action blockbuster, and the best of the series. We follow the Impossible Mission Force, IMF, led by the venerable Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) as they chase a rogue Russian terrorist hell-bent on destroying the world. This is an immense, globetrotting adventure that takes us from the rooftops of Budapest and the streets of Mumbai to the dizzying heights of the Burj Khalifa, world’s tallest building located in Dubai.

Invictus

The following appeared in the Jerusalem Post print and online January 2010

Jerusalem Post Link (archived)

Invictus PDF

Note the following is the original submission and does not include changes by the editor

________________________________

Eastwood proves he is still invincible

“Invictus” is the Latin for word for unconquerable, undefeated, invincible. In Clint Eastwood’s latest film he uses Rugby as a metaphor for the struggle of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman), to unite his racially divided country. A sociology professor I had once gave a fascinating lecture on obsessive sports fans. He said that people love sports because they can vicariously get to see a conflict resolved.  In real life conflicts tend to resist resolution. Eastwood seems to innately understand this.

Avatar

The following appeared in the Jerusalem Post print and online December 2009

Jerusalem Post Link (archived)

Avatar print PDF

Note the following is the original submission and does not include changes by the editor

________________________________

Avatar soars in three dimensions

Parents who view the latest state-of-the-art 3D sonogram of their unborn infant are often amazed and even unnerved by the detail, beauty and the stark reality of what is to come. For a film critic, viewing Avatar is also an overwhelming look into the future—the future of filmmaking and film watching. The film has already been compared to groundbreaking features such as “The Jazz Singer,” the film that brought sound into the mainstream, and “Star Wars,” which changed the scope and scale of science fiction. After fourteen years of development, three years of production, and a rumored budget of half a billion dollars, director James Cameron and his team have created a film that truly places us inside the world they imagined for us. Avatar is a film you don’t just see. It’s an experience.

Mad Men

The following is my first published writing. Appeared in the Jerusalem Post print and online December 2009

Jerusalem Post Link (archived)

Mad Men review (PDF of print edition)

Note the following is the original submission and does not include changes by the editor

________________________________

A Fine Madness

In a time when “Reality Television” succeeds in convincing us that nothing we see is truly real, Mad Men comes along  and makes us believe again in the real rewards of good old-fashioned writing, acting, directing, and photography. Now in its third season, AMC’s original series Mad Men remains one of TV’s most unapologetically provocative, sexy, and stylistic shows.