Movie Junction

As a three-day rock festival held from June 16 to June 18, 1967, at Monterey, California, the one and only “Monterey Pop festival” presented artists who performed for the first time at this grand event. Not only did the festival introduce various performers who would later become quite famous, it also created a unique template for future rock shows. Moreover, the festival unified its performers and audiences in  a common cause--music. This concert film by director D.A. Penebaker rightly captures the idea that music has no racial, genre, and regional boundaries. Criterion has now released the two-disc “Monterey Pop Collection,” combining the “Monterey Pop” and “Jimi plays Monterey & Shake! Otis at Monterey” films. The two discs are also available separately. Monterey Pop (Spine #168) “Monterey Pop” runs 79 minutes and showcases performances by Canned Heat, Simon & Garfunkel, Ravi Shankar, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, The Mama and The Papas, Otis Redding, and...

After making a promising debut with “Pi” (1998), the movie about a genius mathematician obsessed with predicting the behavior of the stock market, Darren Aronofsky returned to the subject of obsession yet again in his sophomore effort, “Requiem for a Dream” (2000).  The success of his last two movies, “The Fountain” (2006) and more recently the multiple Oscar nominated drama “The Wrestler” (2008), ensured that his new fans would come back to watch his earlier efforts as well. “Requiem for a Dream (2000)” offers a broody and ominous tale of four characters intertwined through their actions. The story begins with Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) forcibly taking a TV set from his mother, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), and walking the television through the streets of Brooklyn with his friend, Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). Harry and Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly) are lovers living in Brooklyn with the hope of setting up their own business and spending the rest of their lives in love. Howeve...

In the original movie, "Crank" (2006), we heard the lead actor utter the words, "My name is Chev Chelios, and this is the day I die." Apparently, Chev did not die, and he is back. "Crank" represented a new concept: high energy driven by a fast-paced story with over-the-top violence and sex. "Crank" was an instantaneous cult hit, in spite of its only generating $28 million at the box office. In Hollywood where sex and violence sells, the cult status of "Crank" ensured that the directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor were back pumping new life into Chev Chelios in this high-octane sequel. "Crank 2: High Voltage" (2009) picks up at the point where "Crank" ends. We see Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) falling from a helicopter. Soon after reaching the ground, Chev is captured by a group of Chinese thugs. He soon discovers that his heart is taken out and is replaced by an electronic one that runs on a battery. He meets...

Harvey Keitel began his career as the leading actor in Martin Scorsese’s “Who’s that knocking at my door?” (1967). Over the next few years Keitel appeared alongside Robert DeNiro in Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” (1973) and “Taxi Driver” (1976). The leading actor with immense acting talent was transformed to a supporting actor category in the subsequent years of his acting career. The 90s was the period where Keitel reinvented himself in trademark supporting roles in movies such as “Bugsy” (1991), “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), “Thelma & Louise” (1991), and "Pulp Fiction” (1994). Although these movies were hugely successful, Keitel has always remained an underrated and underappreciated gem in Hollywood. Keitel stars in Abel Ferrara’s “The Bad Lieutenant (1992)” as a nameless corrupt cop who is a drug addict as well as a gambler who lost a big bet in a baseball league match. He finds solace in drugs and in his drug addict friends. In this unforgettable film, we are given glimpses of ...

"Mad Men" Season 2 arrives on DVD with very high expectations after a smashing first season. Mathew Weiner’s Mad Men Season 1 won numerous awards notably bagging six Emmy Awards with Jon Hamm winning the best actor award for playing the central character of a high profile advertising executive, Don Draper. Through 13 episodes of Season 1, we saw various story arcs with a focus on developing the character of Don Draper and other supporting characters such as Peggy, an upwardly mobile secretary, Betsy, Draper’s suburban wife, and Peter Campbell, a junior but rival account executive. Does season 2 deliver on the high expectations built up after Season 1? Lets examine that. [SPOILERS AHEAD] Here is my rundown of significant narrative developments that happened in Season 2: 1) At the start of the season, Don gets a physical exam with a doctor where it is revealed that he has high blood pressure. Further, we also get more insight on Don’s past and the consequence of usin...

"Mad Men" Season 2 on DVD arrives with very high expectations after a smashing first season. Mathew Weiner´s Mad Men Season 1 won numerous awards notably bagging six Emmy Awards with Jon Hamm winning the best actor award for playing the central character of a high profile advertising executive, Don Draper. Through 13 episodes of Season 1, we saw various story arcs with a focus on developing the character of Don Draper and other supporting characters such as Peggy, an upwardly mobile secretary, Betsy, Draper´s suburban wife, and Peter Campbell, a junior but rival account executive. Does season 2 deliver on the high expectations built up after Season 1? Lets examine that. [SPOILERS AHEAD] Here is my rundown of significant narrative developments that happened in Season 2: 1)At the start of the season, Don gets a physical exam with a doctor where it is revealed that he has high blood pressure. Further, we also get more insight on Don´s past and the consequence of using...

Filmmakers over the decades have been fascinated by trains as a site because of the "unknown" and mystical space or realm that trains represent. More so, the relative ease with which a person can get off a train after committing a crime presents various scenarios for a thriller movie. A notable list of movies starting with Buster Keaton's "The General" (1927) and Alfred Hitchcock's "The Vanishing Lady" (1938) and "Strangers on a Train" (1951) to more modern hits such as John Frankenheimer's "The Train" (1964) and Sidney Lumet's "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974) have all used trains as a backdrop against which the main plot of the film unfolds. After watching "Night Train," I could not help but see the similarities between this movie and Brad Anderson's "Transsiberian" (2008). The opening credit sequence of "Night Train" shows a man running through a forest with a box in...