Isaac's Film Reviews

Grander than grand. Film review by Isaac Handelman It’s not easy for a film to keep a silly smile pasted on its viewer’s face for the entirety of its duration, but Wes Anderson’s weird, wacky, and wonderful The Grand Budapest Hotel does just that. With Budapest , Wes Anderson, a director known for his offbeat style and unique compositional techniques, crafts a marvelous cinematic adventure, chock full of memorable characters and packing ingenuity at every turn. Budapest is really a story within a story within a story, but for the sake of simplicity, suffice to say that the film centers on Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), the beloved concierge of the highly esteemed Grand Budapest Hotel, who takes a young lobby boy named Zero (Tony Rivolori) under his wing as a protege of sorts. In a dark turn of events, Gustave is framed for the murder of one of his guests, and finds himself the target of the authorities as well as the greedy family of the victim who hope to secure their ...

"Six hours. One Seat. Nobody can get to you." Film review by Isaac Handelman Liam Neeson has become something of an oddity in today’s Hollywood landscape. The 61-year-old Irish actor, once known for his gut-wrenching dramatic roles in renowned films such as Schindler’s List , is now popping up -- on an almost annual basis -- in beginning-of-the-year action thrillers. Critics would say that Neeson has sold out to the bundles of box office cash that these more typical roles haul in, but few of those who’ve actually watched any of Neeson’s action-oriented roles would complain too much, and Non-Stop , Neeson’s latest, is no exception. Ideally, one would watch Non-Stop whilst knowing almost nothing about the film, as its twist-filled narrative lends itself nicely to a blind viewing. Unfortunately, the film’s trailers, which will undoubtedly draw in a good portion of its audience, have given away a disheartening amount of the film’s content. However, plenty of exciting, u...

Good cop or bad cop? Film review by Isaac Handelman RoboCop probably didn’t need a remake. That’s important to get out of the way up front. Few asked for a re-imagining of the satirical, ultra-violent 1987 sci-fi action flick, but here we are with a budget-ballooned, effects-driven, modern remake of the classic film. And you know what? It’s not half bad. Jose Padhila’s RoboCop is uneven and its title character is totally devoid of a personality, but it’s consistent where it matters: delivering a direct adrenaline shot of entertainment. And as a bonus, the film actually comes close to making an intelligent statement. RoboCop sets itself in a near-ish future, where robotic law enforcement has replaced traditional officers in most countries outside of America. The nefarious corporation behind these robotic protectors is Omnicorp, headed up by Raymond Sellers (Michael Keaton). Sellers decides that what the American populace needs to convince them of the legitimacy of robotic law e...