This review of “Cowboys and Aliens” originally appears on KTKA-49. The new movie “Cowboys and Aliens” is a perfect example of truth in advertising. The title says it all. There are cowboys and there are aliens. And that’s about it. Taking the title of the 2006 graphic novel that it’s based on and none of […]
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“Crazy, Stupid, Love” may have one of the lamer and lazier titles given a film this year, but that is exactly the point. This film embraces many of the clichés of sexually driven romantic comedies, but in doing so comments on and critiques them. Just take a scene that occurs in the middle of the […]
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A good idea is just that, an idea. It may be chock-full of visual potential or hint at the possibility of an engaging story. Even if the idea is fantastic, there is an enormous chasm that stands between that idea and, in this instance, a well-crafted enjoyable feature film. Jon Favreau falls headlong into this […]
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Coming of age stories often come in two forms. Some explore the expansion and depth of a life just begun. Films like “My Life as a Dog” follow young adolescents as they blossom into a proto-sexual adulthood. The other type of coming of age story deals with the fleeting nature of life. In films like […]
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In the midst of the summer movie season, comic book movie exhaustion and action overload has started to weigh heavily on me. Do we really need another film about a dude in a crazy suit, who punches other dudes in crazy suits? Isn’t there an upper threshold for the number of these films that can […]
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This review of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” appears on KTKA-49. To see how this film fits in with the rest of the series, read all the films ranked in order at Top 8 Harry Potter Movies. It all ends this weekend as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part […]
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How do you conclude a fourteen-year literary and cinematic legacy? Well if you’re director David Yates and writer Steve Kloves and the movie is “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” then you make sure to toe the literary line, not wanting to excite or offend. This results in a film that is […]
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“Beginners” is impossible to describe in a way that does justice to this oddly sad, oddly funny, and thoroughly enjoyable film from Mike Mills. It does tell the story of a son dealing with the death of two parents from cancer, the homosexuality of his father, and an exciting and troubled romance. In spite of […]
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This movie review of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” appears on KTKA-49. The first “Transformers” movie was basically an absurdist teen sex comedy featuring sentient cars that turn into robots and some silly go-for-broke rewriting of American history. Its 2009 sequel was a more serious, more ridiculous, less fun version that lasted 2 ½ hours […]
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I’ll begin with an analogy. Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS) is a medical condition, which is marked by consistent unwanted sexual arousal and orgasm. Those of us who don’t have the disease may grin or chuckle and think that PSAS might not be so bad. Those with the disease often describe it as distracting to […]
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Stupidity wins the day, as Mater the tow truck (Larry the Cable Guy) gets center stage in Pixar’s latest film, “Cars 2.” This movie takes on big oil and bungled friendships, while the globe-trotting Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) tears up the racing circuit, and Mater finds himself the master of inadvertent espionage. “Cars 2” opens […]
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Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) can’t make up his mind. He doesn’t know whether he wants to be the hotshot flying ace who always has a clever one-liner; the tortured young man, who still suffers from the loss of his father; or the superhero and the dutiful boyfriend. He better hurry up and decide, because a […]
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If Jim Carrey shows up in your romantic comedy or family film, you should have a hunch that he’s probably living life the wrong way. He could be taking things for granted, ignoring what’s important, or not living life to the fullest. All he needs is a little push, some outside force to give him […]
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The signs were all there. No guest would accompany me to the film, the theater was only half full for the screening, I probably should have known, but I decided to give “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” a fair shake. I can say having sat through its full 91 minutes, that “Judy Moody” […]
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Woody Allen is back with his yearly cinematic offering. “Midnight in Paris” is a joyful and funny romantic comedy fairytale that follows Gil (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter who pines for a bygone era and a more vibrant artistic time. “Midnight in Paris” showcases Allen’s love of the title city and his love of the 1920s. […]
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