One of the hardest things to do in movies is create a sequel that equals or betters its predecessor. Iron Man 2 dos not meet that challenge – but it’s nowhere near being a bad movie. The problem is that IM2 has to do a lot of things: it has to further the story of […]
Tag: Paramount Pictures
MOVIE NEWS: John Malkovich and Frances McDormand are Transformed!
John Malkovich and Frances McDormand are two of the classiest, most talented actors around. And now, thanks to today’s offhand announcement on Michael Bay’s website [https://www.michaelbay.com/newsblog/newsblog.html], we know that they and The Hangover’s Ken Jeong have signed on for Transformers 3. Pre-shoots on the film begin in about a month. Damn! Now I have to […]
MOVIE REVIEW: She’s Out of My Luck – Apatow Lite!
Probably She’s Out of My League’s biggest flaw is that it’s not actually a Judd Apatow movie. It has the requisite heart and humor [ranging from subtle to coarse, but going mostly with coarse] and a premise that, as far-fetched as it might seem, really isn’t [trust me on this one – I’ve been where […]
MOVIE REVIEW: Shutter Island – Martin Scorsese’s Big, Bad [And That’s Good] B-Movie Noir!
In many reviews, I have castigated directors and writers for that matter] of failing to make a successful thriller/horror/noir film because they went into it with one tone – usually grey. There are precious few breaks in the bleakness of Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island and yet I never felt bored by its unremittingly ominous tone. […]
MOVIE REVIEW: The Lovely Bones – Overdone to a Turn!
The release of The Lovely Bones – adapted from the novel by Alice Sebold – is one of those instances where I’m glad I haven’t read the book. From everything I’ve heard, the novel is brilliant – something Peter Jackson’s film is not [except for the overabundance of overly vivid color where it shouldn’t be].
MOVIE REVIEW: Up in the Air Makes It Three Straight Great Films For Reitman!
Ian Fleming’s great spy, James Bond, once said, “Once is chance; twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action.” Tailoring that reasoning to filmmaking: a director making one great film could be chance – a confluence of events that captures lightning in a bottle; a director making two great films [let alone two in […]
MOVIE REVUE: A Good Situation thats Up in the Air
One day you will meet Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) in your office. You never sat next to him in a cubicle. Nor have you shared the latest gossip with him over your coffee break. You did not even invite him to happy hour for drinks. However, he does play an important part of your job. He is the […]
MOVIE REVIEW: Paranormal Activity Works For One Reason: It’s Very Good!
By now, pretty much the entire North American population is aware that Paranormal Activity – the little movie that could – was shot on a budget of $15,000. College and midnight screenings were packed and the response was almost universally good, so Paramount Pictures – after kudos by people like Steven Spielberg – decided to […]
MOVIE NEWS: Transformers Now the 9th Highest Grossing Movie of all time!
For a movie no one liked and got universally panned an awful lot of you went to see it this summer. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen proves the adage that I guess we critics really don’t matter (even though I believe I was one of the few who thought it was ok – not […]
MOVIE REVIEW: The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard – Used Car Mercenaries!
Paramount’s The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard is, next to The Hangover, the funniest film of the summer. It’s unapologetically crass, irreverent, obnoxious, politically incorrect – pick the adjectives you prefer. It’s also, thanks to fine performances from a varied and idiosyncratic cast of characters – played with gusto by an equally idiosyncratic cast of […]
MOVIE REVIEW: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – Yo! Joe No Go!!
Some movies you see because the trailers and the buzz are so good. With G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, I went because I wanted to see if the movie could possibly maintain the same laughable level as the trailers – and the buzz certainly suggested it would. It did. The Rise of Cobra is […]