In Defense of…the 2008 film season
The general consensus of the past year of movies is a rather negative one, from a critical standpoint. "We were spoiled in 2007," seems to be the excuse, and it...
Dan Mecca
In Defense of…Body of Lies (and War on Terror movies in general)
Recently, fellow FilmStager Jordan Raup posted his "Top 5 Disappointments of 2008," Ridley Scott's Body of Lies in the #4 position. I have finally seen the fil...
The Spirit is Not “Something the World Needs”
The Spirit, based on a 1940s comic serial written by Will Eisner, is a smorgasbord of visuals and color coordination courtesy of writer/director Frank Miller. M...
Benjamin Button examines time on earth, becomes timeless film
There is a scene towards the beginning of David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in which a submarine emerges from the sea with the grace and othe...
Gran Torino – A Vintage Model with Old Kinks (6 out of 10)
Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is a comfortable film that deals with uncomfortable themes, never taking the time to get comfortable with itself. Once again taking...
Top 5 Most Underappreciated Films of 2008
5. AugustThis smart taut 85- minute character study watches the collapse of the '01 web bubble the month before 9/11 through the eyes of Tom Sterling (Josh Hart...
[Review] Valkyrie
Valkyrie, directed by Bryan Singer (Superman Returns), tells the undeniably interesting true story of Nazi Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise, Tropic Th...
BEST PICTURE OSCAR PREDICTIONS (UPDATED!)
FROST/NIXONMILKSLUMDOG MILLIONARETHE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTONTHE DARK KNIGHT...
Quantum of Solace: Why it’s not that great, actually
I saw the flick on Friday and I dug it. My line of criticism was probably similar to most readers': "It was good, but no Casino Royale." Two days later, however...
Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Filming?
Believe it or not, this sequel is finally being filmed. Starring Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus (the original saints), director Troy Duffy has begun blo...
Dan Mecca
Managing Editor
Dan Mecca is the co-founder and managing editor of The Film Stage. He is a producer and filmmaker living in Pittsburgh. He watches a lot of movies and tracks them on Letterboxd.