For better or for worse Veronica Mars gives fans of the old TV Show and Kickstarter backers almost everything they could possibly want. This is the rare film that I can absolutely say I was looking forward to seeing and it did not disappoint. Sure I can quibble about a few major omissions but Writer/Producer/Director […]
Category: Movie Reviews
Enemy’s Tangled Web Scares, Provokes!
Denis Villeneuve’s new film, Enemy, was actually filmed before last year’s Prisoners and – other than sustaining a single, predominant mood – has nothing in common with it except for the presence of Jake Gyllenhaal. Whatever commerciality Prisoners might have had is also absent here – unless commercial has suddenly become a synonym for intelligent, […]
Need For Speed Goes Old School!
There’s not a lot you really need to know about Need For Speed except that what little CGI there might be in the movie, none of it is in the stuntwork. The racing sequences are outstanding – and practical (which is where the ‘old school’ comes in). Oh, and there’s actually a plot and a […]
Chef Offers a Mix of Comedic and Dramatic Ingredients for a Mostly Tasty Result
Director/writer Jon Favreau has returned to independent comedy with heart and passion. Without question, every syllable, every frame, and every musical note of Chef feels like a recipe conjured up by Favreau composed of his favorite ingredients. In keeping with that theme, Chef doesn’t deliver one flavor profile, but several, as Favreau navigates between high-brow […]
Why Veronica Mars is an Important and Fantastic Film: A Review for the Fans
I have a certain stylistic rules I adhere to when writing film critiques—for example, I do not write from the first-person perspective. But, because Veronica Mars wonderfully, and refreshingly, breaks most rules of film making and execution, I have decided to break my own rules in order to give the film the review it deserves. […]
Non-Stop Takes Audiences for a Ride. Michelle’s Review!
Liam Neeson has taken some lessons from Miley Cyrus, apparently he can’t stop doing films that are derivatives of his popular Taken franchise. They should have just called this “Taken 3” and called it a day. At times it almost seemed like Non-Stop was going in that direction until the writers realized what they were […]
Stalingrad Is A Near-Perfect IMAX 3D Experience!
Stalingrad is an outstanding war movie because it takes one isolated group of people in the middle of the most epic battle of World War II and tells their story. In that way it is kind of the Russian Saving Private Ryan.
Non-Stop Is Non-Stop Action, Non-Stop Implausible!
The cast and direction of Non-Stop are first-rate. They are infinitely better than the material they’re working with.
Pompeii Flops Spectacularly!
Pompeii wants to be Spartacus, The Towering Inferno and a romantic drama. One out of three is not good.
3 Days to Kill: McG Takes Besson’s Tendency to the Absurd and Makes It Sing!
3 Days to Kill may be directed by McG, but at its heart, it’s the combination of heart and absurdity that has become the hallmark of Luc Besson, co-author of the script and one of the film’s producers. Sometimes that mix works (The Professional, La Femme Nikita, Fifth Element) and sometimes, not so much (The […]
RoboCop: Fun Action Flick Lacks Demented Genius of Original!
You can tell RoboCop made by someone who understands how to make an action movie – the editing is superb and the camerawork both muscular and dextrous. Outside of Samuel L. Jackson’s tabloid television host, Pat Novak, there’s almost none of the demented genius of the original – though there are more than a few […]