Rio is by all accounts a very traditional animated feature. We get likable stars in the form of cute animals, a few big musical numbers, stories centered around friendship and true love, and even a menacing villain or two. Although the film doesn’t stray too far off the path of what we’ve seen (many) times […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Win Win is writer/director Thomas McCarthy‘s weakest effort. Now that might sound bad, but only until you realize the man has put together a pretty impressive resume so far. McCarthy both wrote and directed The Visitor and The Station Agent, as well as penning the original story Pixar’s Up was based on. That’s a pretty […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Based on the experiences of Bethany Hamilton (played here by AnnaSophia Robb), Soul Surfer tells the story of a young girl who lost her arm to a shark attack, which threatened to end a promising amateur surfing career. The main focus of the film is Bethany’s struggle — and that of her family and friends […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
What is it about music? It can inspire, deeply move and remind us of times long since past. It’s that final piece which is the heart of The Music Never Stopped. We tie memories to sights, smells, and sounds. A familiar song can produce a rush of forgotten emotion tied to a specific moment from […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Based on the young adult novel of the same name by Pittacus Lore I Am Number Four is somewhat bland coming of age tale of a high school aged alien (i.e. college aged actor) on the run from another group of aliens that want him dead. Incredibly silly, and more than a little dumb, the […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Liam Neeson stars as Dr. Martin Harris, a scientist from the United States who arrives in Germany with his wife (January Jones) for a medical conference, only to find his very life stolen from him in the space of four days. After a car accident leaves him in a coma, Martin awakes days later to […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Jack Abramoff was a greedy prick. That’s really the only message Casino Jack has. If you were expecting anything more from this political biopic by director George Hickenlooper and screenwriter Norman Snider you’re bound to leave disappointed. Kevin Spacey stars as the Washington D.C. super-lobbyist who became a household name working for Preston Gates & […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Although the film is based on the real events surrounding the life of Robert Durst, the main problem with the screenplay by Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling is how ridiculous the events appear when recreated on film. What starts as a love story and tense drama about a troubled son of a real estate broker […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
It’s odd that I Love You Phillip Morris is based on the true experiences of con man Steven Jay Russell because if the film has one major flaw it’s how cartoonish and unbelievable some of the events appear on-screen. As the film opens we are introduced to Steve (Jim Carrey), a respected police officer, with […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I’m not sure, but I’m willing to bet the central idea for putting Jack Black in a remake of Gulliver’s Travels was for the express purpose of having him fight a giant robot in the town square as the miniature masses looked on. As ideas go, this one is less than inspired (but, then again, […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I haven’t seen Jérôme Salle’s Anthony Zimmer, the original French film on which this American version is loosely based. What I can tell, however, is that The Tourist is the kind of enjoyable summer flick you don’t usually find in the midst of family holiday flicks and more dramatic Oscar fare. Johnny Depp stars as American […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
After spending 10 years in prison for his part in an armed robbery a man who is only ever referred to as “Driver” or “Ghost” (Dwayne “Stop Calling Me The Rock” Johnson) walks out of the big house and immediately begins to hunt down the men (including Courtney Gains, John Cirigliano, Lester Speight) who robbed […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
During it’s heyday, Disney made a name for itself by turning out classic tales about princes and princesses, true love, and triumph over evil (usually with a few songs and cute creatures thrown in). With the studio’s 50th animated film, Disney goes back to the well with Tangled, based on the fairy tale Rapunzel by […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Although Fair Game has the dubious honor of sharing a title with a truly awful Cindy Crawford/William Baldwin flick, thankfully that’s all the two movies have in common. Based on the true story of Valerie Plame, Fair Game focuses on the consequences of one man standing up for what he believes in, a talented woman […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
“Our battles quickly got more elaborate. He would win some, I would almost win others! He took the name Metro Man, defender of Metro City. I decided to pick something a little more humble – Megamind, incredibly handsome criminal genius and master of all villainy!” What makes a hero? DreamWorks latest animated feature Megamind, scripted […]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }