cinematic roots of: ‘Machete’

In Machete, a former Mexican federale (Danny Trejo) hiding out in Texas takes on The Man who wants to bring down his Hispanic brothers and The System that perpetuates social injustice. This flick sprang from (among other films)…

cinematic roots of: ‘Takers’

In *Takers,* a gang of elegant and mostly nonviolent bank robbers, led by stylin’ Brit Idris Elba, break one of the rules that has made them successful, and so risk getting caught by diligent cop Matt Dillon. This flick sprang from (among other films)…

cinematic roots of: ‘The Expendables’

In *The Expendables,* writer-director-star Sylvester Stallone gathers together a small mercenary army of leftover 80s action stars and a few wannabe youngsters to kick some ass and take some names. This flick sprang from (among other films)…

cinematic roots of: ‘Eat Pray Love’

In *Eat Pray Love,* Julia Roberts’s newly divorced writer travels to Rome, India, and Bali in order to figure out who she is and what she wants from life, and creating her own family of friends along the way. This flick sprang from (among other films)…