Will Smith and Michael Mann Prove to be The Greatest Parts of Ali

Muhammad Ali (Will Smith) was a larger-than-life figure. Ergo, it's no surprise a movie about his life like Ali begins with a similarly grandiose bang.  Michael Mann's 2001 chronicle of the boxer and civil rights advocate kicks off with a nine-minute sequence that covers a whole lot of ground in a short period of time. Set against a rendition of Bring It On Home to Me, Ali proceeds to show its titular lead in the middle of a boxing match, meeting best friend Drew Brown (Jamie Foxx), enduring rigorous training and even a flashback to adolescent Ali having to sit in the back of a segregated bus. It's an appropriately expansive kick-off for what turns out to be an expansive motion picture.

The Royal Tenenbaums Makes A Melancholy Interior With An Eccentric Exterior

As said in my review of Rushmore, there's a fascinating undercurrent of melancholy to the works of Wes Anderson that sharply contrasts with the quirky visual aesthetic found throughout his work. Externally, Anderson's stories occupy realms populated by whimsical architecture and stylized characters, but such elements are typically in the service of stories very much in touch with reality. The themes of Anderson's works tap into universal human experiences just as potently as his visuals dazzle the eyes. His 2001 effort, The Royal Tenenbaums, is one of his most overtly despondent projects in tone as it explores the Tenenbaum family and the various problems its individual members are grappling with.

Despite Being About A Real-Life Genius, A Beautiful Mind Is A Pretty Thoughtless Movie

Russell Crowe has had quite the odd career hasn't he? Now, he's a famous actor, no one would ever deny that, but after headlining two back-to-back Best Picture winners (Gladiator and the subject of this review, A Beautiful Mind) and scoring a Best Actor win, the guy starred in two big projects (Master And Commander: Far Side of The World and Cinderella Man) that underperformed financially and then headlined the box office dud A Good Year in November 2006. In the nearly twelve years since then, he's only starred in a handful of movies and mostly stuck to supporting roles. Not an odd career trajectory at all for a leading man to shift into supporting roles, it just feels, to me anyway, like Crowe's time as a leading man came and went in the blink of an eye given how buzzy he was at the start of the century.