Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Mad Max (1979) Having made it through Mad Max: Fury Road, the latest installment in the series (see my review), I went back and re-watched the original to revisit the character’s humble origins when he first hit the screen back in 1979. The original was made duringContinue Reading
Child 44 **** Short Take: Based on the first book in Tom Rob Smith’s trilogy, Child 44 tells the story of a disillusioned MGB agent in Stalinist Russia who stumbles onto the path of a serial child killer. REEL TAKE: At press time Child 44 is still in theatres inContinue Reading
by Chip Kaufmann May 6, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of filmmaker, and larger than life personality, Orson Welles. While there have been and will continue to be a number of tributes throughout the year, including a recent retrospective at NYC’s Film Forum, it is interesting toContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) While Citizen Kane always grabs the top slot as Orson Welles’ greatest cinematic achievement, I cast my vote for The Magnificent Ambersons. Welles’ follow-up to Kane is the antithesis of that film. While Kane loudly proclaims its brilliance from every frame, Ambersons isContinue Reading
‘71 **** ½ Short Take: A historic action thriller about a young British soldier, separated from the rest of his unit, during ‘the troubles’ in 1971. REEL TAKE: ’71 marks a powerful debut feature film for director Yann Demange. ’71 is a historical, fact-based action film that takes place overContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: WUSA (1970) Throughout cinema history there have been a number of movies that were ahead of their time. There are movies that flopped when they were first released and found an audience many years later. Then there are those movies that are waiting to be rediscovered. WUSAContinue Reading
50 Shades of Grey **1/2 Short Take: This film adaptation of the bestselling novel is a cross between The Story of O and a made-for-TV movie on Lifetime or Oxygen. Reel Take: While I am not a fan nor have I read the source material by E.L. James, I amContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: The Story of O (1975) With all the publicity, furor, not to mention box office success of 50 Shades of Grey (over $250 million globally so far), it seems only fitting to recall a much better film that essentially covers the same ground but was not nearlyContinue Reading
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership has announced an award of $5,000 to the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies at Mars Hill University to support a documentary film about Madison County master fiddler Roger Howell. A lifelong fiddler, Howell may be best known for his “Memory Collection,”Continue Reading
