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Grand Ambition But Still Left Wanting
Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is an impersonal yet fun vision of a sinister point in 20th century European history. Set between World War I and II in a fictional country at a mountain...
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Two (of Everything) Thumbs Down
“Noah” is a film that I was rooting for. At the risk of offending biblical literalists, I believe that any version of The Bible contains some amazing pieces of mythical fantasy adventure. I also think...
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is pretty enjoyable and continues Marvel’s lineup of films that fall short of superhero-movie greatness until we get another “Avengers” movie. This movie is what...
View ArticleMorris Probes “The Unknown Known”
Errol Morris’ new documentary, “The Unknown Known,” is about questions that deserve answers and a subject who has a talent for temporarily convincing people he is providing those answers. The grin of...
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“Under the Skin” and “Transcendence” … and “Ernest & Celestine”
“Under the Skin” is a return to thought-provoking art house science fiction that is so bold, it will make a small amount of people fall under its dark spell, while most people will just want to get up...
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“The Other Woman” – Pick Another
“ The Other Woman” opens with a sexually-charged, yet PG-13 commencement of a relationship between Carly, played by Cameron Diaz and Mark, played by Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau –one of those...
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The Not-So-Amazing Spider-Man 2
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci were a screenwriting duo that recently split to pursue projects individually. I guess that this made the entertainment news because they were big names in the movie...
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“Godzilla” Bores Back To Life
In 2010, Gareth Edwards impressed the filmmaking world with his disaster sci-fi movie, “Monsters.” The film isn’t outstanding, but the facts surrounding its production – an incredibly limited budget...
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Recent Good Movies & X-Men: Days of Future Past
For the daring filmgoers, there’s a really good one out there called “Locke.” It’s an intense drama starring Tom Hardy (best known as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises”) as a man in the painful process of...
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Belle, The Immigrant and Palo Alto
Currently in theaters, “Belle” is finding an appreciative audience. It is well-shot, well-edited, well-acted and engaging as a historical melodrama. The film would have a little more of my respect had...
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“Edge of Tomorrow:” Watch Today
“Edge of Tomorrow” is surprisingly engaging and a rather accessible sci-fi action film. This is a movie filled with ideas and imagery that will be familiar to fans of the genre. Its ad campaign...
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What’s up with Seth MacFarlane?
Last week, I made a very last-minute decision to view Seth MacFarlane’s new film “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” a comedy that I had been dreading since reading the first bad reviews from reliable...
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“Transformers: Age of Extinction:” If Only
“Age of Extinction”? Though it is rumored that this is the first entry in a new trio of Transformers films, let us hope that this title means something about this unending franchise of seemingly...
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Visiting New Worlds in “America” &“Snowpiercer”
In the new conservative documentary, “America,” Dinesh D’Souza follows his very successful anti-Obama doc, “2016: Obama’s America” with the pretentious title, “America.” In this film, the proud...
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“Dawn” Gets an A(pe)-Plus
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is a very good sequel and one of the best action movies of the summer. It is also a big step for director Matt Reeves, whose found-footage monster movie “Cloverfield”...
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“Tim’s Vermeer” A Work of Art
If you haven’t already seen last year’s excellent documentary, “Tim’s Vermeer,” I highly recommend you do. This movie may give you a new perspective on the subject of art, as broad as that sounds....
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Lucy: A No-Brainer
Like most Luc Besson movies, “Lucy” is violent, pretentious and stupid. However, like the best of his films, it is also imaginative and thrilling. I was insulted by its bad taste and moronic...
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“Boyhood” Matures Over 12 Years
Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” is one daring movie project. This really is unlike anything you’ve seen or will see for a very long time. To interpret Linklater’s ambitions from previous films might...
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Do You Believe in Magic?
Whether you think you’re getting a Woody Allen film that has a philosophy of hard-bitten realism or one of magical realism when you see his latest romantic-comedy, “Magic in the Moonlight,” you can...
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“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” &“Calvary”
“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” is a sequel made by popular demand. The results are generally underwhelming despite the fact that it’s everything one should expect. In 2004, when Robert Rodriguez...
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