(Originally posted on 3/12/04) Sick. That’s the simplest way to describe Mel Gibson’s medieval mutilation film The Passion of the Christ. Other ways would be: execrable, disquieting, and shameful. Gibson’s film, based on a mixture of the Gospels and the prophesies of 18th century mystic Anne Catherine Emmerick, dramatizes Christ’s last twelve hours on earth…

(Originally posted on 3/6/04) After four days of vigorously attempting to reach the bottom of Peru’s treacherous 21,000-foot tall Siula Grande, skilled mountain climber Joe Simpson returns to base camp with a blackened, frostbitten face camouflaged by streaks of blood, dirt, and saliva. His hollow eyes turned skyward in a look of exhausted disbelief and…

(Originally posted on 2/29/04) The prime marvel of Miracle isn’t the true-life victory of the 1980 Olympic hockey team – although the film’s recreation of that signature Cold War moment is plenty stirring – but rather Kurt Russell’s grizzled, vigorous performance as team captain Herb Brooks. Russell’s Brooks has an unflappable confidence (despite his horribly…

(Originally posted on 2/8/04) A reclusive dwarf reluctantly finds a surrogate family and a chance for emotional liberation in Thomas McCarthy’s The Station Agent, a likeable drama that champions the cathartic power of overcoming self-imposed isolation. As the withdrawn train aficionado Fin — a sullen dwarf who moves to the New Jersey town of Newfoundland…

(Originally posted on 1/21/04) Anthony Minghella’s dewy-eyed Civil War romance Cold Mountain is cast as a Homeric travelogue of the picturesque, war-torn South in which slavery appears only as a decorative footnote and noted thespians randomly cameo in a bid for supporting actor Oscars. After a brief courtship of furtive conversations and lustful glances (and…

(Originally posted on 1/10/04) I love serial killers. Wait, let me rephrase that. I love watching, reading, and learning about serial killers. Thus, I approached Monster, Patty Jenkins’ dramatic film about Aileen Wuornos — a Florida prostitute executed in 2002 for killing her male clients — with reasonably high hopes. Unfortunately, with the exception of…

(Originally posted on 1/10/04) Vadim Perelman’s adaptation of Andre Dubus’ acclaimed novel House of Sand and Fog is, courtesy of ace cinematographer Roger Deakins, one beautiful film. Shot in subdued, natural hues that exhibit a clarity meant to contrast with the story’s hazy moral center, the film concerns the battle over a beachside house between…

(Originally posted on 12/24/03) I’m a long-time fan of documentarian Errol Morris, whose 1978 debut Gates of Heaven – a touching examination of two Middle America pet cemeteries – remains one of my all-time favorite films. His latest, The Fog of War, is a stunning portrait of Robert McNamara, the notorious Secretary of Defense during…

(Originally posted on 12/22/03) With Christmas rapidly approaching, I don’t have adequate time to give Peter Jackson’s mesmerizing The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King its due. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to extol, however briefly, the virtues of this series’ awe-inspiring finale. Jackson culminates his trilogy in grand style, elevating the film’s…

(Originally posted on 12/19/03) Jim Sheridan’s In America comes so close to greatness that it’s incredibly frustrating to see it stumble in its final moments. Based on the acclaimed writer/director’s own experiences, the film focuses on married Irish couple Johnny (Paddy Considine) and Sarah (Samantha Morton) who, along with their two precocious daughters Christy (Sarah…