“Order of the Phoenix” is my least favorite of the Harry Potter books. It’s important to note that “least favorite” in this case means I’ve only read the book twice instead of three times like the others. I’m a full-on Harry Potter fiend, I’m comfortable admitting that. “Phoenix” is the point in the ongoing story […]
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I was just complaining to a friend of mine how they don’t make nerdy teenage fantasy movies like they did in the ’80s, and then along comes director Michael Bay‘s Transformers. A flawed, frenzied, and ultimately fun affair, Bay’s big screen adaptation of the Hasbro toy line (that itself spun into a TV series and […]
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America’s most divisive filmmaker is back at it again with “Sicko,” a new documentary that takes on this country’s broken down health care system with a potent mix of satirical humor and thought-provoking cultural questions. More than a political polemic, this film discusses an issue that affects all ages and people from all walks of […]
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Even though its approach to horror is old-fashioned, the small-scale fright flick “1408” is a breath of fresh air in the wake of recent gore-filled torture-fests like the “Saw” and “Hostel” movies. It has a methodical set-up, some imaginative twists and turns, and an inspired lead performance by John Cusack. So it is too bad […]
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Despite the fact that “1408” has a number of things going for it – primarily perma-hero John Cusack – it still manages to completely fall apart at the exact moment when it needs to blow your mind. Instead, “1408” is comparable to films like “Event Horizon” or even the lesser “Skeleton Key,” films that start […]
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Ah, where to begin. I can recall around the time of the release of Martin Scorsese’s “Cape Fear” in 1991…I was deeply enthralled with Robert Deniro’s monster performance and thought that Deniro– at that particular moment– would make the perfect Wolverine. I jotted down a few different versions of who I imagined would fill out […]
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Are you suffering from sequel-itis? Does the current crop of summer blockbusters leave you hungering for something different to watch? I know I am, which is why I skipped out on last night’s last minute screening of “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” (There’s usually a reason they don’t show a film until the […]
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One of the promotional stills from Steven Soderbergh’s star-studded Las Vegas heist sequel “Ocean’s Thirteen” features George Clooney as pack leader Danny Ocean, decked out in a black turtleneck and sporting a huge fake moustache. The movie also features Brad Pitt posing as a hippie scientist and Matt Damon as an aggressive womanizer with a […]
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No, there’s nothing new about “Ocean’s Thirteen.” It’s the same old schtick we’ve seen in the previous films. So if you aren’t interested in revisiting the world of Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his trusty sidekicks pulling off another big-time heist, then don’t bother. No new ground was broken and the twists… aren’t anymore, because […]
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In the 6th grade I grabbed the opening tip-off in a little-league basketball game. I ran – dribbling like a champ – down the court and made a picture perfect lay-up. My exhilarated satisfaction came to a record-scratching halt as I turned, expecting to see joy and approval on the faces of my teammates, to […]
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Writer/director Judd Apatow nails so many of the little details in romantic relationships in “Knocked Up” that its easy to forget sometimes that you’re watching an R-rated gross-out comedy. In fact, the screenplay is so prescient and the acting so naturalistic that you may forget you are watching a movie at all. To make it […]
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Captain Jack Sparrow, as played by Johnny Depp, gets a queasy look on his face. Another Jack Sparrow stumbles up to his backside. As three more loopy Jack Sparrows look on, the first one clucks and lays an egg into the hands of the second. Apparently anything can happen in the land of the dead. […]
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At the heart of the new indie romantic comedy “Waitress” are the creative concoctions of its title character, Jenna, played by Keri Russell. Pies have always been the truest expressions of her soul, and the patrons at Joe’s Pie Diner look forward to each delectable new recipe. I HATE MY HUSBAND PIE: Bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened. […]
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You’d think that after two outings of post-modern fairy tale jokes that the makers of the “Shrek” series would have run out of gags to try to keep their valuable animated franchise afloat. From the fast-paced, often adult references that fly by in “Shrek the Third,” it is obvious that is not the case. This […]
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Disappointment is always felt more deeply after there is a hint of good things to come. The first clue that the zombie sick-fest “28 Weeks Later” would be an inferior sequel to “28 Days Later” comes after a promising, slam-bang opening. Hiding in a cottage in the country with his wife, Don (Robert Carlyle) lets […]
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