It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s – Kal-El, son of Jor-El, from the planet Krypton. In this dark Superman reboot directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and written by David S. Goyer (Blade: Trinity) and Christopher Nolan (Batman), Man of Steel steps out of the cheesiness and into maturity of the modern serious Superman. […]
Review – Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Into Darkness is misleading for all its onscreen lens glare and the U.S.S. Enterprise’s bright bridge deck. One would think outer space is infused with visible sunlight. For the most part, it’s a fun ride, sweetly comical, heartfelt, visually spectacular, action-packed, and delivered with bullet speed. Even with the introduction of the villain […]
Movie Review – Arthur Newman
Ostensibly, Arthur Newman is about the title character (Colin Firth) faking his own death to escape his hated life and to start life over again as a golf pro. Along the way, he meets Mike (Emily Blunt) a very troubled young woman who is, in her own way, also trying to re-invent herself. It doesn’t […]
Movie Review – Jack the Giant Slayer
Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman, Be he alive or be he dead, I\’ll grind his bones to make my bread. ~Joseph Jacobs, Jack and the Beanstalk (1890) This is not the way the poem goes in director Bryan Singer’s (X-Men) Jack the Giant Slayer. Fee, Fi, Fo, and Fum are the two-headed […]
Movie Review – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Travel into the world of fantasy in the first installation of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, the prequel to Lord of the Rings. In this introductory chapter, hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman , from the BBC TV series Sherlock) is recruited by wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to join the band of dwarfs on […]
Movie Review – Skyfall
Bond: the end of the beginning. Daniel Craig is back as James Bond, British Secret Service Agent 007, in what seems to be the final installment of “the making of James Bond.” Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road), this episode takes a dark direction, taking Bond to his origins as he confronts his […]
Review in 100 Words – Cloud Atlas
Six stories run concurrently with a handful of actors playing several roles – it’s a lot to process unless you have read the book by David Mitchell. This Twyker and Wachowskis collaboration uniquely portrays the theme that people are bound throughout eternity by unseen forces (short of touching on “souls”). Great acting, visually well-executed and […]
Review – The Avengers
The Avengers in 3D is the ultimate experience for anyone who has ever read a graphic novel or comic book of superheroes. Watching them come to life on the big screen is a visual buffet of Marvel’s longstanding original characters: Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and the Hulk. The Black Widow and Hawkeye, later characters, […]
Review in 100 Words – Titanic (in 3D)
“Are you ready to go back to Titanic?” Just like Rose, I totally was ready to experience it and you should be too! “Titanic” in 3D has never looked or sounded better. Watching it on televisions for 15 years had made me forget some of the majesty of seeing it on the big screen. The […]
Review in 100 Words – Wrath of the Titans
I don’t think anyone expected a sequel after the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans failed to impress. It’s also safe to say that my expectations for said movie weren’t that high. I’m pleased to share I thought Wrath of the Titans was much better than its predecessor, especially in the 3D department. Sam […]
Review – John Carter
John Carter doesn’t give you much to go on by way of a title, but being directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall-E) you can guess there’s probably a lot of CGI involved. True to form, it’s an epic fantasy adventure that’s visually astonishing. Based on a series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John […]
Review – This Means War
The secret is out: women can, and do, go out with multiple men. Who can blame them if those men are in the realm of Chris Pine (Star Trek, Unstoppable) and Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises)? In This Means War, directed my McG (director of Charlie\’s Angels and executive producer of shows like […]
Review in 100 Words – Safe House
Is Safe House is a safe bet this weekend? You’ve got some tried and true stars: Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds and a tried, (albeit tired) and true story line in the new and vibrant setting of South Africa. Sadly, the plot twists are completely predictable with a few “jump in your seat” moments. Denzel […]
Review in 100 Words – Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows
If you liked the first Sherlock Holmes, you’re in luck. You’ll probably like its sequel since it’s more of the same, just on a grander scale; though this one takes its time getting to the point. Some liberties taken with historical events tend to stretch credibility. But given the spirit of the movie, it’s easier […]
Review in 100 Words – New Year\’s Eve
Director Garry Marshall called in all his celebrity favors for his Valentine’s Day follow-up, New Year’s Eve. Despite the star power, the film barely raises above serviceable. The script is tired and so are some of the performances. Most of the LA based talent probably should have cut back on the bronzer before heading east. […]
Review in 100 Words – Happy Feet Two
Thankfully, Happy Feet Two is not a scene for scene rehash of the original and only the singing and dancing penguins is the same. Mumble is a dad now and he and his son Eric (plus their friends) must work together to save their community. Along the way there are plenty of good jokes, lots […]
Review – Immortals
Immortals, directed by Tarsem Singh, is not for the faint of heart. Plenty of blood-spurting action and tough one on one combat make no excuses when it comes to graphic depictions. It could be addicting, to say the least, if you love the type of action sequences as seen in the film 300 or love […]
Review – Machine Gun Preacher
Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) just got out of prison and straight away he’s back into doing the same things he’s always done: drugging, boozing, and committing violent acts. This time, however, his wife has found religion and suddenly he finds inner turmoil. When he reaches a crisis, it is only then that he asks for […]
Review in 100 Words – Moneyball
If you love sports movies about the underdog overcoming the odds, Moneyball is the next generation of storytelling. The talk-heavy script by Social Network scribe Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian takes Michael Lewis’s book about the cash-poor Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) breaking from the decades old traditions of finding baseball talent […]
Review in 100 Words – Killer Elite
Adrenaline-pumping, hardcore one-on-one action is why you go see a Jason Statham film, right? Well, his latest flick, Killer Elite, delivers on that promise and more. Based on an alleged true story, Statham plays a reluctant assassin forced to carry out orders to save his mentor (Robert De Niro) held captive. Clive Owen plays his […]
Review – Conan the Barbarian in 3-D
Enter the world of Conan the Barbarian in 3D and you find yourself among fire embers floating in the air in the opening sequence with digitalized scenery in the background giving it an animated feel. The rest of the film, however, lends itself more to comic book graphics, amazing stunts, and the powerful presence of […]
Review – Fright Night (2011)
Welcome to Fright Night. After witnessing some strange mischief going on next door, High School Senior Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) suspects that his new neighbor, Jerry (Colin Farrell), is not only responsible for disappearances of his neighbors, but that he is might be a vampire. He turns to illusionist (and self-proclaimed) vampire slayer, Peter Vincent […]
Review – The Help
If your first reaction to the new Dreamworks film The Help is, “Dear Lord, not another Driving Miss Daisy, where African Americans are still playing servants,” you will be pleasantly surprised. The Help is a harsher, realistic look at the lives of domestic workers in the last days of the Jim Crowe South and the […]
Review in 100 Words – Green Lantern
Fan expectations are high for this beloved comic-turned-movie. Ryan Reynolds is Hal Jordan, hot shot pilot and unexpected hero. A brunette Blake Lively is his wingman/boss and Peter Sarsgaard is Hector, a lovable but easily corrupted braniac. Green Lantern relies heavily on CG (including Reynolds in a digitally created green suit) as the Lanterns rely […]
Review – The Art of Getting By
Freddie Highmore stars in The Art of Getting By as George, a lonely senior at a NYC prep school who spends his days drawing in his textbooks instead of completing any of his work. He becomes friends with a fellow student, Sally (Emma Roberts), when he covers up for her when she is about to […]
