Movies

10Jun11:39 amEST

Sunday Matinée at Market Chess Cinemas

The suicide of  celebrity chef, author, travel documentarian, and television personality, Anthony Bourdain, took many by surprise this week. After all, he had what many termed to be the "dream job," of traveling the world and eating great local cuisine, learning from skilled local chefs and meeting friendly people native to each of his...

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03Jun10:05 amEST

Sunday Matinée at Market Chess Cinemas

Collateral , not the current Netflix series, but the 2004 American neo-noir crime action thriller film, is a highly entertaining and worthy of viewing. The film was directed by Michael Mann, of Heat (1995) fame. And while Mann will never top Heat ,  Collateral ought not be disregarded.  via YouTube: Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a cool,...

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27May11:56 amEST

Sunday Matinée at Market Chess Cinemas

On this Memorial Day Weekend, the trio of George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube headline the cast of Three Kings (1999), a film worth a viewing over the holiday. The film centers around the Gulf War, and maintains a fast pace of action and thrilling adventure while intertwining well-place comedy, too.  via YouTube: Starring Emmy and...

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25May12:36 pmEST

Fusing Actionable and Educational Analysis of Chipotle 05/25/18 {Video}

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19May7:58 pmEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

I was working for a firm in Milan, Italy, in the summer of 2004. During my time there, I recall plenty of experiences and people, including an Italian office mate who would sing Bruce Springsteen songs in broken English all day because me being American reminded him of Bruce.  However, another memory was going on a date with a young Italian...

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12May10:11 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

Writer/director Justin Lin has certainly moved on to bigger things in his career, namely the Fast and the Furious series of films in addition to plenty of pop culture hits, but I still consider his finest work to be, by far,  Better Luck Tomorrow (2002).  Better Luck Tomorrow might be a bit difficult to track down these days. However, I...

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11May3:20 pmEST

Biotech's Bad Boys with Good Charts {Video}

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06May10:12 amEST

Sunday Matinée at Market Chess Cinemas

I previously recommended "BOSCH," an Amazon Prime series based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling crime novels, which centers around the gritty, old school LAPD homicide detective, Harry Bosch. I wanted to give a quick follow-up and viewing the third and newly-released season four to re-recommend the show.  While BOSCH might not be in my...

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28Apr6:03 pmEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

With a talented cast headlined by Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito,  The War of the Roses (1989) is a classic dark comedy which will have you wondering something along thee lines of, "Why don't they make movies like this anymore?" It's not that this is an all-time great film, but it is an entertaining story with good action,...

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21Apr11:38 pmEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

The Wild Bunch (1969) headlines the talented William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, and Robert Ryan about an aging group of outlaws looking for one last big score as the “traditional” American West is disappearing around them.  If you are looking for well-done western action, this film is as good as any.

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15Apr10:56 amEST

Sunday Matinée at Market Chess Cinemas

Although divorce is now commonplace and widely accepted (even expected) in modern society, back in the day in Sicily it was flat-out illegal. And a film which automatically comes to mind regarding that topic is t he uproarious comedy, Divorce Italian Style  (1961), starring the great Marcello Mastroianni in his prime. The film centers around...

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07Apr9:13 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

An Officer and a Gentleman  (1982) is one of those coming-of-age all-American films from the 1980s which ought not become swept away in the sands of time. It is currently available on Amazon Prime and well worth a viewing.  via YouTube: Once in a great while a movie comes along that truly grips and uplifts its audiences. Such a movie is An...

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31Mar8:41 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

After recommending the first season of the Amazon Prime Original Series, "Sneaky Pete," last year, I am going to follow-up after watching season two and re-recommend the show. There is plenty of overlap in this show with the FX standout, "Justified," from years back, with Graham Yost behind the scenes as an executive producer and Desmond...

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24Mar6:00 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

Mean Streets (1973) is often seen as the the film which gave birth to some of the later classics in which Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese collaborated. I recommend it on a standalone basis as well, though the context for future films is warranted too. via YouTube: Harvey Keitel plays Charlie, working his way up the ranks of a...

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17Mar9:05 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

On this Saint Patrick's Day, I am going to recommend one of my favorite Irish films from the last two decades. Each time I have watched it, I have come away thoroughly impressed with  The Guard (2011), a comedy-thriller set in a small Irish town. The cast features several of my favorite actors, including  Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, and the...

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10Mar11:09 pmEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

Riphagen (2016), currently available on Amazon Prime, was produced as a three-part miniseries,   but was also deemed worthy of a theatrical release. The show is based on a fascinating real-life story during World War II in the Netherlands.  via imdb.com The story about Riphagen, a cunning Dutch traitor during WW2 who helped Nazi round up...

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03Mar7:30 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

Happiness (1998) is a disturbingly dark yet high quality, under-appreciated film. It also features the late-Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his more archetypal performances. Written and directed by Todd Solondz, the indie auteur of  Welcome to the Dollhouse  (1995), the film also stars Jon Lovitz, Lara Flynn Boyle, Jane Adams, and the...

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24Feb4:53 pmEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

The Romanian television series, Umbre , is currently available on Amazon Prime in America. Umbre aired via HBO Europe, and is probably the closest thing you will ever see to a legitimate hidden gem. There have been two seasons so far, but I expect more to come as the show serves as a great ambassador for eastern European filmmaking.  Much...

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17Feb8:23 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

The great Louis Malle’s My Dinner with Andre (1981) is as much the antithesis of an action movie (at least a physical one) as you will ever see. And yet, it is an entertaining film in its own right, a tribute to the dialogue, acting, and, of course, Malle’s direction. via imdb : Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, apparently playing...

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10Feb11:05 amEST

Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) received critical acclaim upon its release, and has since been nominated for and won several awards.  Unfortunately, I do not share the view that this is an exceptional film, nor a particularly good one.   Instead, I believe that too many critics and viewers simply gave the benefit of the...

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