Adapted from a steamy potboiler of a novel (its actual title, “Waltz Into Darkness,” is also a much cooler name) from acclaimed pulp novelist Cornell Woolerich, this movie could have been lurid, trashy fun. But the direction is too languid and the pace too slow to keep things interesting. Angelina Jolie is incredibly sexy, and […]
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If you liked “Mallrats,” but thought it could have been a bit funnier or better done, go see “JASBSB.” Director/writer Kevin Smith has drawn his five-part Jersey trilogy(?!) to a close with a hilarious, foul-mouthed, laugh-out-loud funny-ass flick. I’ve liked every single one of Smith’s movies. I think he writes some of the wittiest, side-splitting […]
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Here’s an early Oscar prediction. Tilda Swinton will be up for Best Actress next March for this wonderfully tense and original thriller. I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say this doesn’t follow the normal plot of most murder stories. “The Deep End” continues to involve you further and further as Swinton […]
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Well, the first one kinda sucked, but everyone else I was with wanted to go, so there I was…. You know, it was a little better than the original, which I didn’t like either. Maybe it was the set-up of the “American Pie” that I disliked so much. This one doesn’t make much more sense, […]
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This is a very well done old-fashioned ghost story, and I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Nicole Kidman is very convincing, and I thought I had the story figured out a couple of times, but it kept throwing me off the trail. Without ruining it for you, I’ll tell you this […]
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This one Jodi and I had to drive to Kansas City for, and it was totally worth it. We had seen the play in its limited run there as well (the only place outside of NYC that it was ever performed, I was told), and I think I liked the movie even better. It’s not […]
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Tim Burton’s ‘re-imagining’ of the 1968 Charlton Heston classic b-movie has all of the apes, but none of the imagination of the original. It won’t commit to being a social satire or a comedy, so it burrows right down the middle, playing it as safe as ever. The apes look good, and are tons more […]
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Did you like “Swingers?” Do you want to see a different story with the same kind of humor once again written and directed by Jon Favreau and again starring Favreau and Vince Vaughn? If so, go see “Made.” This is not a damnation, but rather a ringing endorsement. Yes, Vaughn plays another dim-witted, loudmouth jerk. […]
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Summer is the time to waste good talent on bad movies (i.e. “Evolution”), and here’s another giant stinker that could have been so much better. How can you go wrong with John Cusack, Julia Roberts, and Billy Crystal in a light romantic comedy? If you are really curious and you have a desire for self-torture, […]
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I think this may be my favorite movie of the year so far, inching barely ahead of “Memento.” It’s almost as if director Terry Zwigoff tailor-made this film for me. It’s based on a great comic book by Daniel Clowes, one of my favorite comic writers. It stars Steve Buscemi, and its his best work […]
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Here’s a pleasant little surprise. I got dragged to this one kicking and screaming by my friend Sarah and actually liked it. “Legally Blonde” is a lot like “Clueless” in its theme, and also doesn’t have to pander to be funny. Reese Witherspoon carries the whole movie with charm to burn, and the story doesn’t […]
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I had heard that Edward Norton really didn’t want to do this film, but did anyway just for the opportunity to work with Robert Deniro and Marlon Brando. I can see why he had reservations, it’s not a very deep movie, but as far as heist flicks go, it’s a very good one. Brando is […]
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I kinda got dragged to this one, but I was really impressed by the amazing computer animation. I was also real lucky that Disney didn’t include any of those godawful cookie-cutter crap songs they put in their musicals and get jokers like Phil Collins and Elton John to sing. (Those damn things screw real artists […]
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For the record, I liked “Scary Movie.” Check out my review in the archives if you want. I was ashamed, but I laughed. A lot. This time I was not nearly as ashamed, and laughing not nearly as much. And this, despite the addition of David Cross, one of the funniest men on the planet, […]
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Steven Spielberg directs a movie with frighteningly enormous scope and ideas presented in this surprisingly adult film. The acting was first rate, and the first half seemed very much like a Stanley Kubrick movie. It was creepy how closely the script touched on many of the same themes as “2001:A Space Odyssey.” I’m still intrigued […]
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