Mark David Major's Blog, page 5
February 4, 2014
REVIEW | Saving Mr. Banks | Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks
REVIEW | Saving Mr. Banks Starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks Directed by John Lee Hancock, Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith Saving Mr. Banks (2013) tells the story of author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), who reluctantly agreed to meet with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and his team in 1961 for two weeks of discussions about adapting […]
January 29, 2014
REVIEW | The Wolf of Wall Street | Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
REVIEW | The Wolf of Wall Street Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Margot Robbie Written by Terence Winter based on the book by Jordan Belfort Directed by Martin Scorsese I’m not entirely sure what to make of The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). The film is OK. Is it funny? Yes, in a mostly […]
January 26, 2014
REVIEW | Captain Phillips | Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi
REVIEW | Captain Phillips Starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi, Directed by Paul Greengrass Written by Billy Ray based on the book by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty Captain Phillips (2013) tells the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship […]
January 23, 2014
REVIEW | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
REVIEW | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland Directed by Francis Lawrence based on the book by Suzanne Collins I thought The Hunger Games (2012) was a mediocre film. Call me fickle but 45 minutes of watching Jennifer Lawrence (well on her way to becoming the most […]
January 19, 2014
REVIEW | 12 Years a Slave | Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o
REVIEW | 12 Years a Slave Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, and Benedict Cumberbatch, Directed by Steve McQueen, Written by John Ridley and Solomon Northup I’ll admit approaching 12 Years a Slave (2013) with some trepidation. The film tells the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped on a trip to Washington, […]
January 16, 2014
REVIEW | Rush | Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde
REVIEW | Rush Starring Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth and Olivia Wilde Written by Peter Morgan, Directed by Ron Howard In the past, some critics have described Ron Howard’s films as competent, well-made, methodical, and cold; demonstrating intellect about filmmaking but lacking any heart or soul when it comes to storytelling. I haven’t always agreed with […]
January 12, 2014
REVIEW | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig
REVIEW | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Starring Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, and Sean Penn Written by Steve Conrad, Based on the Short Story by James Thurber Directed by Ben Stiller While watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), I couldn’t help but think about how this film might have been […]
January 9, 2014
Life Altering Reads | An Infinitesimal Abundance of Color
An Infinitesimal Abundance of Color by Mark David Major and Layce Boswell was recently the Featured Book of the Day on Life Altering Reads. Read the full feature here: Life Altering Reads | An Infinitesimal Abundance of Color | Mark David Major, Layce Boswell. An Infinitesimal Abundance of Color by Mark David Major and Layce Boswell is on sale […]
January 5, 2014
RE-POST | Top Ten “Must Read” Non-fiction Books
RE-POSTING THE MOST POPULAR ARTICLE IN 2013 ON THE SOVEREIGNTY BLOG! THIS ARTICLE FIRST WRITTEN IN LATE 2012 WAS OVER 10 TIMES MORE POPULAR THAN ITS NEAREST COMPETITOR IN 2013. ENJOY! Top Ten “Must Read” Non-fiction Books by Mark David Major, The Outlaw Urbanist contributor Book covers for The Death and Life of Great American Cities […]
January 2, 2014
REVIEW | American Hustle | Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper
REVIEW | American Hustle Starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence Written by Eric Singer and David O. Russell, Directed by David O. Russell American Hustle (2013) is a partially true behind-the-scenes account of the FBI’s Abscam busts during the late 1970s, which used a fake Arab shiek to saddle three U.S. Congressmen […]
