Over this weekend, we will learn to be careful what we wish for, know that even strippers can become movie stars, wonder if we have a long-lost sibling, ask ourselves what will happen after fifteen years of marriage, and ponder who keeps paying to see Tyler Perry films. Enoy! Ted: In one sense, Seth MacFarlane’s new film […]
This weekend brings us the latest installment in the two-hour-commercial genre, a bunch of people popping out progeny, an exploration of men and their grooming habits throughout the years, and Sam Jackson kicking ass — this time without the aid of a raging green monster or an iron-clad playboy / philanthropist. Battleship: I understand the logic of […]
Directed and adapted by Gary Ross, The Hunger Games deviates from its literary counterpart penned by Suzanne Collins. The difference is not so much in the events of the story. Those stay, for the most part, the same. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) sacrifices herself to save her sister, Prue, whose name is unluckily called as the girl […]
Ned lives contently with Willie Nelson (his dog) and girlfriend, Liz, somewhere in upstate New York. The vibe is reminiscent of hippiedom, or at least re-imagined hippiedom. Liz and Ned are idealists, which intones that they’re pacifists, and they often cite modes of non-violence when bickering. They work an organic farm, wear Crocks instead of Birkenstocks and […]
Man on a Ledge might be the most literal-titled, cliche-riddled movie anyone will see this year, but amid the sea of tropes and trash, there are clever moments, which makes it difficult to cheer for Nick Cassidy’s demise, but not impossible. During his visit to the Roosevelt Hotel, Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) checks in under a pseudonym, […]
The biggest question this week will be whether or not Liam Neeson can continue his string of success with early-year movies. For some reason, Unknown and Taken both drew massive audiences. While neither was critically successful, people just love them some Liam Neeson. How could you not? He was Oskar Schindler; he and Gandhi single-handedly defeated the Nazis […]
Deciding to watch The Next Three Days took longer than actually watching the film. Paul Haggis might be one of the most polemic directors today in terms of story and content. He doesn’t necessarily cause controversy – unless it’s among critics – but, sort of like Clint Eastwood, he turns out films that are either rather solid […]
Orphan I’m a bit disappointed about how much I enjoyed this film — I hated the reboot of House of Wax and categorize most recent horror/suspense/thriller-type movies as bits of films that have been recycled and placed over snippets of Dvorak opera. However, the acting in Orphan is quite solid as Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgarrd hold their own. […]