When it comes to remakes, I simply do not envy the folks behind the scenes that are in charge of reinventing a classic, due the wealth of stress that has to be hanging over their heads every step of the way. Because if they screw it up and produce a reimagining that is a critical dud and box office bomb, they are labeled as the person who ruined a beloved story through and through. But at the same time, the risk is worth the reward, because if they put together a magnificent remake, one that people flock to and declare to be as good as or better than the original, then they go down in history as an outright genius.
 
But, what we often forget, is that many remakes are made that quite frankly arrive with little fanfare. They don’t have a fanbase that takes to Twitter and any other social media platform to decry a desecration of the original and iconic story, and those that enjoy it don’t sing praises, they simply pay the freight and have a good time because this particular type of remake, is nothing more than sheer entertainment, the kind of movie that allows for you to kill a couple of hours where you outright enjoy yourself, and one such remake that meets that particular criteria arrived in theaters in 2002 by way of The Time Machine.
 
Now, the plot for this one treads through familiar territory since our main character, Alexander Hartdegen travels through time, finding his way into the past, present and future where he must help a band of humans known as the Eloi from the evil and wicked Morlocks and well, I think what makes this remake so inoffensive is that it stays true to the spirit of the original film and source material, all while offering up enough unique twists and turns to make this remake stand out on its own and really, it’s those subtle changes that quite frankly, allow for me to enjoy this movie whenever I find it on cable or pop it into my DVD Player.

​Because in reality, this remake offers up a message, one that reminds us to always maintain our humanity despite the wonders of our technology, and much of that is expressed by way of the Morlocks, since they are twisted descendants of mankind who find themselves deformed thanks to the technologically advanced contingency plan they used when the Moon shattered, a disaster that was also caused by technology, and I think it’s quite cool to see that kind of depth present in a story that is grounded in the spirit of action and adventure and the wonders of this remake don’t end there.
 
Because I’m also a huge fan of the fact that it deals with loss and grief and temporal paradoxes for that matter as well, and all of that comes by way of Alexander since the loss of the love of his life is what brings about the genesis of his invention and his inability to process the fact that she is gone and that nothing can be done about that adds a new gravity to his journey through time since it’s in essence the most advanced attempt to escape pain that I’ve ever seen and thanks to Guy Pearce’s solid performance, this particular twist works well within the framework of the plot and makes his journey quite satisfying to say the least.
 
Of course, one cannot discuss this remake without discussing its special effects since they were a true staple of the original and thankfully, the effects here do the original proud. From the incredible sight of seeing our Moon in chunks high above the Earth, to the Über-Morlock, the effects are simply a delightful feast for the eyes and really when all is said and done, this movie is just plain fun. It’s filled with adventure and thoughtful moments and it doesn’t insult the original in the slightest and while may not go down as a classic, you won’t be bored when watching this one and it definitely elicits its own type of magic when you watch it and really, you can’t ask for much more from a remake, than that. 

​When it comes to adaptations as whole, for some, there is no middle ground. There is either the book or the movie, and one is always better than the other and good luck in trying to convince them otherwise. Of course, they are entitled to their opinion, and I’ve rarely met someone on either side of the spectrum who doesn’t offer a compelling argument as to why they’re right. But for me, I’m big on there being room for both options, simply because, it’s supremely awesome to see how someone else saw the story that you know and love.
 
After all, our imaginations, are our own and how we see characters and any particular event in a book, is unique to our minds, which is why I believe that movie adaptations of novels have value, since they are in essence, our favorite stories come to life. And when I was younger, the works of H.G. Wells managed to captivate me time and time again, to the point where my mother rented a particular adaptation of his work for me to enjoy, one that I must have watched over and over again in my youth and one that I recently felt the need to revisit after seeing its remake on cable a little while back, The Time Machine.
 
Now, this is a film that we don’t need to discuss plot wise, simply because, we all know it by heart, and let’s be honest, it’s not the plot that wows us in this film, since it matches the book to a tee, it’s the fact that so many of us saw it as kids and we were blown away by the incredible special effects that helped us travel through time alongside H.G. because my goodness, these effects still take my breath away after all these years. Sure, there’s a touch of dating to them, and you can spot the miniatures now, but the way they play out on screen and the awe that they inspire is just magical to say the least.
 
Yet, while the effects are cool in their own right, what truly makes this film special in my mind, is the sense of wonder that it evokes when one watches it. I always felt that in the novel, our intrepid Time Traveler, was always cool and collected despite the incredible things happening around him. But here, in the film, H.G.’s eyes are wide with wonder at the sights and sounds that accompany time travel and seeing the awe he experiences and his concern in the finale along with his heroism is inspiring to say the least and well, there’s a real human element in the film that I simply did not find in the novel at all.
 
But, all of that aside, this really is a magnificent classic through and through and if I find it on television, I instantly drop everything I’m doing and kick back and watch. Because the true magic of this motion picture, is that in many ways, it does let you travel through time, since the instant I see it, I’m transported back to the basement of the house I grew up in, to the exact moment when I first sat down in front our T.V. to watch this gem and well, it’s hard in this day and age to replicate that kind of wonder, but that’s just what this film accomplishes and why it should be celebrated as often as possible.    

​Throughout our rich history, there is one act that humans commit, that continues to confound and fascinate us...murder. For one, it is unnatural to say the least since our lives are designed to be filled with as many experiences as possible before we naturally pass into the great beyond, so to see one human rob the life of another is shocking to say the least.

But our fascination goes beyond the horror of the act, it's the why that equally piques our curiosity. We often wonder what would drive someone to cause that kind of harm to their fellow man and that fascination is what has helped drive the Serial Killer into their unfortunate limelight. The care, and detail that goes into their heinous acts are poured over by all of us, and for some...to an obsessive level, as was explored in the 2007 film, Zodiac. 

Now this is a film that us back in time to explore the origins and pursuit of one of America's most prolific and mysterious serial killers...The Zodiac. Active in the 1960's and 1970's, this killer used cryptic messages to announce his murderous intentions and staked his claim on multiple murders in the Northern California, San Francisco bay area, and despite all the clues he left behind, a suspect was never brought to light. But rather than play the conjecture game or dramatize it up, Director David Fincher opted to look at the murders from a vastly different angle than most films in this genre do, from the outside looking in. This is a story that revolves around the man who wrote a book on the Zodiac case, Robert Graysmith. Robert was at the time a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, who was captivated by the case and the killer's constant love of taunting the police and the public, leading him on a personal quest to uncover the true identity of the Zodiac Killer.

It is that quest that makes this film so absolutely fascinating. Robert is a driven character, a man who rarely gets involved with the world around him until he sees an actual chance to do some good and well...while his obsession with this case costs him plenty in his life, it's that quest for knowledge, to understand a monster and bring him to light that keeps the audience hooked and cheering for Robert to succeed. Especially considering, we are given just enough when it comes to the Zodiac to maintain that air of mystery and even as the walls start closing in on Arthur Leigh Allen, there's still sense of doubt surrounding the man that never quite confirms nor denies that he is indeed the Zodiac, at least not until the end, which we won't bother to spoil here.

Simply because of the fact, you need to see this film if you haven't already. Not only for the fascinating story of one of America's greatest modern mysteries, but for the star-studded cast that turns in one powerhouse performance after another. You really can't go wrong with Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey, Jr. popping up together in one film. But really, at its core, Zodiac is about one thing...obsession; since that drives every single character in its film. Our villain is obsessed with murder and chaos, our detectives are obsessed with justice and Robert...all he wants is the truth and that's refreshing to see in a film from this genre. It goes beyond the bloodthirsty nature of a killer and the fear they produce...it's about how the rest of the world sees such cases, and how obsession, can sometimes be a good thing.

​There are few things as amazing as enjoying football on a Sunday. It's the chance for friends to come together, decked out in their finest team gear and enjoy good eats and good times as everyone settles into watch the game and all of its poetic nature unfold before our eyes. We witness glory, we witness defeat, it's an experience unlike anything else. 

However, in our world there is always balance and an opposite side to a coin, which means there is a risk to football as well. We know of the obvious ones, the fact that a man can be hurt playing the game but that's why they get paid the big bucks and tough it out for the team, right? Well that line of thinking is now being reconsidered. Because there are other risks inherent to the game, ones that are unseen and were only recently discovered as is chronicled in the fascinating film; Concussion.

Dr. Bennet Omalu takes great pride in his work as a pathologist for the Pittsburgh Coroner's Office. To him the science of death relates directly with how a person lived, helping him determine the exact nature of how a person passed on and while this notion tends to get his coworkers to roll their eyes, it is proven correct when the body of Mike Webster, a Hall of Fame Football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers arrives in his office. Because while it appears that Mike died of a heart attack at age 50, the self-mutilation that Bennet finds piques his curiosity and as he digs deeper, he discovers something strange within Mike's brain, a new disease that may be affecting professional football players and as more men from the sport begin to suffer from it, Bennet will reveal his findings to the NFL and the public in the hopes of protecting future players from this illness. But that will mean changes to the game and asking that of the biggest sport in America, one that is beloved just the way that it is, will prove to be one incredible challenge. 

Based on a true story, this is at its core one frightening film. After all, football fans and non-football fans are all aware of the CTE mess and the NFL's litigation that went with it, but that news was merely scratching the surface. Here that illness is given a face by way of the actors portraying these unfortunate men who sacrificed everything on the field only to have their brains give way to something far worse and well...those scenes are hard to watch. Sure it's a performance, but there was no doubt some study that went into their erratic behavior before they took their own lives and if even a smidge of the performances are grounded in reality...then these men suffered greatly and seeing what this illness does to a man is truly uncomfortable. 

But, terror aside, Concussion succeeds as a story because it does give us a great man in Bennet. He is truly a kind soul, one without an agenda, and one that believes in helping others through and through and his fearlessness when it comes to taking on a big time corporation is inspiring to say the least. Yet despite giving us scares and an incredible plight, what matters most is that this film forces you to think about those Sunday afternoons, and the injuries that happen on the field. Suddenly, you don't feel as inclined to cheer on the hard hits we come to expect, you now want these men to make it through a game okay and perhaps that was the point of telling this story, to make us see these players as men and not warriors, and in turn...see the value of their lives and their future. 

Competing to show that you are the best in any industry is what the die hard’s are always willing to do, even if it means breaking the rules. Trying to be the best at what you do should demonstrate pride in your work, regardless of what your chosen line of work is and it’s something that should be done by everyone. If you are only doing your job halfhearted, people take note and are not willing to take a shot with you for something that might be bigger and better for your future.  

Martin Blank is the best at what he does, even though it is killing people. Not having a problem with this, Martin is trying to clear up the problems in his mind regarding his troubled past with his family and the only girl he ever loved. With an old acquaintance trying to recruit him to a new group of assassins, Martin does not want to join as he enjoys his solo lifestyle. Working with his therapist, he is told to go back home for his high school reunion, even though it will be a process for him to reconnect with his past, it will be good for him.

Getting a contract in the same town, Martin takes a look around town to make sure that nothing has changed. Arriving at his childhood home and finding out that it has been changed to a convenience store, Martin starts to understand that letting the past go might be in his best interest. But when he runs into his high school sweetheart, everything starts to come together as he still has deep feelings for Debi who has turned back to her past for a sense of comfort.

As his past starts to come back into play, Martin runs into some of his old high school friends and finds out that there is more to life than his current occupation. Pairing up with his best friend Paul, Martin is taken around town and forced to come clean about what he has been doing with the last ten years of his life. As Martin starts talking to more and more people around town, he starts to understand how much the memories from his youth really come into play and that he would be happy in changing his current lifestyle. With his current rival coming after him in full force, Martin is forced to fall back into his old ways to survive, but needs to find a way out.

This is one of my favorite movies and if you have not seen it yet, I would highly recommend that you give it a view. With so many twists and turns, this is just a fantastic ride down memory lane if you ever think you missed out on anything in high school. With a great cast that includes John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Dan Aykroyd, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin and Hank Azaria, how could you possibly go wrong? With plenty of one liners and witty comedy, this is a great movie that will keep you smiling and quoting for days to come. With an in depth look into the hitman’s past who may or may not be a good guy, even though he gets paid to kill people, this movie leaves you wondering, is he really a hero? Once you watch, you will be able to formulate your own opinion. Happy Viewing!