HBO (now Max) has been producing its own feature-length films since 1982, averaging 10-15 releases each year. Most of these films have little to no marketing behind them, nor are they distributed by a major studio or star A-list actors. With very few exceptions, these films go mostly unseen. However, there have been exceptions. These include
The Normal Heart, Bad Education, Live from Baghdad, and
Behind The Candelabra. Perhaps HBO’s most celebrated and widely received original movie is the Billy Crystal-directed (
Forget Paris, Mr. Saturday Night)
61*, chronicling the 1961 single-season home run chase between New York Yankees teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
Continue reading 61* (2001) →
Denzel Washington (
Flight, He Got Game) and Ethan Hawke (
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Boyhood) began their careers in 1985. Washinton has a more storied career with four Oscar nominations between 1987 and 1999 (
Cry Freedom, Glory, Malcolm X, The Hurricane). The underrated Hawke had starred in movies such as
Reality Bites, Before Sunrise, Gattaca, and
Hamlet before the turn of the century. But it took Antoine Fuqua’s (
Southpaw, Tears of the Sun) gritty, determined, and so far over the top that it might be believable
Training Day for these two Hollywood heavyweights to meet on the big screen for the first time. The result is the crowning acting achievement in the careers of each actor.
Continue reading Training Day (2001) →
Movies I Watch That Inspire Me to Critique!