John Seale

Mad Max: Fury Road Review

Mad Max: Fury Road Review

RATING: (4 STARS) Holy shit. Thirty years is a long time to wait for a new installment in a film franchise, but Mad Max: Fury Road overcomes this problem for a variety of reasons. Firstly, director George Miller simply doesn’t care if you’re familiar with what’s come before. He’s also smart enough to forge a […]

The Paper Review

The Paper Review

RATING: (2 STARS) It’s almost stunning how quickly Ron Howard’s The Paper collapses in on itself. Here’s a film that’s mostly fine, if a little familiar, for 80% of its running time. But my God, when it fails, it fails spectacularly. Almost any good will Howard and his all-star cast build is gone by the […]

The English Patient Review

The English Patient Review

RATING: (2.5 STARS) Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient is exactly what one might expect out of a Best Picture winner. It’s a grand, sweeping, epic love story that covers a lot of ground. It takes place in an exotic land, against the backdrop of WWII. And its technical credits—though not very subtle—are quite impressive. It’s […]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Review

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Review

RATING: (3 STARS) In 2001, the Harry Potter phenomenon finally hit the big screen. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, perfectly captures the sense of childlike wonder any of us would feel if we went to a school of magic. The film adaptation, directed by Chris Columbus, does the […]