REVIEW: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire [2009]

“A Day at the Shore” About halfway through watching Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire I started to think about another dark and dismal drama about abuse. The comparison to Requiem for a Dream was very hard to remove from my consciousness, both with the subject matter and the stylish way in which they are shot. Aronofsky really evolved the visceral assault aesthetic for his tale of drug abuse and I have to believe that director Lee Daniels was thinking just that when approaching Geoffrey Fletcher’s adapted screenplay.…

Read More

REVIEW: You Don’t Mess with the Zohan [2008]

“Hey, it’s Sony guts” What has happened to Adam Sandler? Billy Madison is one of my all-time favorite comedies, the romance-inclined Wedding Singer is fantastic, and his forays into serious fare—Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me—have shown the talent hidden beneath the 5-year old trapped in a 40-year old body routine. As far as his production company’s new work goes, in my opinion, a lot is left to be desired. Sadly, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan does nothing to alleviate those feelings. Yes the trailer looked absolutely horrible, but…

Read More