The Wizard (1989)

Corey (Fred Savage) accompanies his half-brother Jimmy (Luke Edwards) to California, for reasons that only one of the children understand. Along the way the siblings meet travelling teen Haley (Jenny Lewis) and, without going into detail why, video games become an important feature of their world.
It's a road movie for kids that seems rooted in the era it was released because of the video games (arcade Double Dragon, NES Ninja Gaiden, TMNT, etc), but its themes of bonding, self-realisation and awakenings of self-worth are timeless. The handling of each one is varied, but there's enough to make the journey worthwhile. Its attempt to make the Nintendo Power Glove seem cool are less successful, but it's nothing to be ashamed of - Nintendo failed too.

2½ happy wanderings out of 5

The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

Real life brothers Beau and Jeff Bridges play onscreen brothers Frank and Jack Baker, respectively, in Writer/Dir. Steve Kloves' mature drama about relationships both personal and professional. The duo are pianists, earning a living playing bars and functions, playing the same hackneyed songs over and over as they provide a soundtrack to other people's lives, but suffer their own. When Susie (Pfeiffer) storms into their midst, her seductive and destructive nature causes deep introspection.
There's a sombre tone, as if a spiralling downward motion is nearing its end, but there's a feeling that its corollary exists therein, waiting to break free.
Performances from the three leads are terrific. Being a counterpoint to the brothers means Pfeiffer stands out, but it's honestly some of her best work.

4 circular motions out of 5

THE SECOND CIVIL WAR [1997]

Director Joe Dante & co. craft together a wonderfully witty political satire with the curiously swept under the carpet comedy The Second Civil War.
An immigration controversy tears the United States of America apart, which eerily reflects exactly what is happening the States right now.
What's played for exaggerated laughs here isn't all that over-blown when you take into the consideration some of the ridiculous words spoken in politics this past year.  Tackling such weighty subjects as immigration, political racism, mass shootings, outsourcing might have been a bit tongue-in-cheek 20 years ago but today it's all too real.  It transforms the film from a goofy spit on the American way of yesterday and into a frighteningly prophetic hilarious mirror reflection of today.

3 orphan cards out of 5

MAX PAYNE [2008]

Director John Moore brings a lot of visual style to his cinematic adaptation of the third-person shooter video game series Max Payne.
Thinly based upon the first game, Max, a fallen New York City detective obsessed over finding the murderer of his wife and child, while stumbling into a much larger case involving a new strain of powerful narcotics.
This mess of a film is riddled with bad dialogue, illogical plot advancements & actions and terrible acting from just about everyone involved.  If it's goal was to make Frank Miller's work look mature, then it succeeded on every level with the cheeseball violence and overly stylized gruffness.

1½ watches out of 5