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1 month ago | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
The prevailing feeling throughout The Alto Knights‘ is that it should’ve been made 20 years ago. While mob figures like Vito Genovese and Frank Costello used to be in the public lexicon, those names have faded into the pages of history. Even Jimmy Hoffa, a man whose mysterious death was a source of tabloid fodder for years, barely registered with the public when The Irishman debuted in 2019. These are the forgotten names from a bygone era.
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1 month ago | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
Since Charles Bronson first did shooty-gun fingers, Hollywood has served us many variations on a theme. Old man turns bad-ass, nerd turns bad-ass, character actor turns bad-ass, etc. It succeeds more often than not, judging from the many Death Wish sequels, the current popularity of John Wick, and this week’s release, Novocaine.
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1 month ago | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
“Based on a true story.” The label pops up so often at the beginning of a film that we gloss over it. The phrase, thanks to Fargo-esque cutesiness and omnipresence, is meaningless. Yet, with this story, the authenticity is the draw. Last Breath tells the extraordinary rescue mission of diver Chris Lemons, a man trapped underwater for 29 minutes without oxygen, who survived against unimaginable odds. The film doesn’t require any embellishment. The thrills are built into the story already.
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
The real story around Flight Risk has been about its odd marketing. First, it didn’t mention Mel Gibson by name. Early TV spots only mentioned “the award-winning director of Braveheart, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge.” Then we got a promo with Gibson in Braveheart makeup shouting at Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Dockery to “go bigger.” After several straight-faced promotions, I don’t know why they went in that direction.
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Nov 19, 2024 | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
For years, movies have celebrated fraternities. Rambunctious films like Animal House and Old School lionized the slobs who made up such institutions, poking fun at the buttoned-up poindexters who opposed them. You’ll find legacy names making up frat rosters because, after all, frats don’t let in people like Homer Simpson, they trade in famous sons like Succession‘s Kendall Roy.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
Christmas-themed hits like Elf, Jingle All the Way, and The Polar Express were the norm for this time of year, but recent releases have withered in theatres. Sensing an opportunity to jump into the marketplace like Netflix and Apple, Amazon pushed out one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Dwayne Johnson, into a holiday flick. After years of watching streamers hoard films that should be in theatres, they released the wrong film into cineplexes with Red One.
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Nov 1, 2024 | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
With 36 films at Warner Bros., four Academy Awards, and several iconic performances to his name, there is nothing more that Clint Eastwood could do to burgeon his resume. Surprisingly, the director came across this screenplay by writer Jonathan A. Abrams and said, “I’m not done yet.” The 94-year-old filmmaker’s latest film, Juror #2, is a handsomely crafted thriller that would fit right in with the heyday of ’90s filmmaking. Unfortunately, Juror #2 was released in 2024.
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Sep 13, 2024 | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
With the arrival of Speak No Evil, the list of English language horror remakes grows longer. The company is already suspect at best: The Grudge, Martyrs, Dark Water, and Quarantine all headline a growing list of mediocrity. Too often, a studio will take a concept, add a recognizable name, and then lean back into genre cliche. The results are creatively unsatisfying, and viewers are often frustrated with the final product because they don’t have the spark of the original.
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Jul 14, 2024 | 
colinbiggs.medium.com | Colin Biggs
The marketing for Longlegs is rivals only The Blair Witch Project in terms of boosting a little-known genre film to major success. Even people who generally don't follow horror heard about or saw a teaser for the film before its release. Hiding Nicolas Cage's eponymous killer from the eyes of audiences sealed what is easily one of the most disturbing character reveals committed to celluloid.
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Jun 26, 2024 | 
thatshelf.com | Colin Biggs
Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis swept up at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but another director (who also put it all on the line financially) quietly debuted a passion project of his own. Given how much of his own money writer/director/star Kevin Costner poured into this proposed four-film series, you can’t help but want him to succeed. Critics laud ambition, but the life force of Hollywood is box-office receipts.
