Certain movies and scenes stay with you forever. That’s the power of the moving image on our impressionable minds. I feel conflicted when someone remakes an iconic movie because I don’t want to taint my memories of the original with variations of scenes or new people in the same situations. The 2015 Poltergeist brings up […]
A resilient survivor teams up with a resourceful counterpart looking to find her way back home in the frenetic chase film Mad Max: Fury Road. George Miller‘s seminal franchise began with 1979’s Mad Max, starring a very young, unknown Mel Gibson. It held the title of most profitable film for two full decades, spawned two […]
A green but loyal officer finally gets her big chance to make an impression in the lukewarm comedy Hot Pursuit. This vapid farce of a film directed by Anne Fletcher continues her unblemished string of entirely forgettable films (The Guilt Trip, The Proposal and 27 Dresses). The story starts off with a nice enough concept. Cooper […]
Marvel is really on a roll these days. Moviegoers and fanboys alike anticipate every film in the Marvel Cinematic Uinverse, even this summer’s Ant-Man, a character who never would have made the transition from comic book to silver screen prior to this heightened interest. Avengers: Age of Ultron kicks off Phase 3 of the Universe […]
A talented artificial intelligence expert is called on to evaluate his boss’s latest evolutionary achievement in the riveting sci-fi drama Ex Machina. The promise of advanced artificial intelligence serves as the centerpiece of countless Hollywood films. 1927’s Metropolis captivated audiences with its cautionary tale of a dystopian future ruled by smart machines. Our own tech […]
A discredited former New York Times journalist finds that a potential killer adopted his identity in True Story. That certainly sounds like a recipe for a potentially thrilling drama. The film even starts us off with a highly engaging, deeply disturbing opening sequence. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from there. This is a big-fish story that […]
Unnecessarily confusing for half of the film.
A struggling middle-aged couple is drawn to the energy of young bohemian lovers in While We’re Young. Every long-term relationship reaches a point when you wake up and realize that your romance has inadvertently evolved into routine. It’s inevitable for most of us. Life is pretty much dictated by routines. We eat. We sleep. We brush […]
Many movie franchises peter out over time to become pale reflections of what made them good at the beginning. I would have laughed if someone ever suggested that Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th series would end up in space or that the titular character of the Leprechaun movies would rap in a bar. […]
A riveting true story about a Jewish refugee’s fight to recover stolen works of art plays out in Woman in Gold. Helen Mirren, sporting a pair of colored contact lenses that entirely transform her look, stars as Maria Altmann, whose well-to-do family was decimated by the Nazis during their occupation of Austria during World War […]
The clandestine campaign to bend the will of public opinion is scrutinized in the captivating documentary Merchants of Doubt. Are you fascinated by magicians and their ability to pull off the seemingly impossible? For centuries, the best magicians have mastered the art of misdirection and human psychology — all in the name of entertainment. Countless […]
A socially ignorant millionaire, convicted of fraud, enlists the help of the only felon whom he knows in Get Hard. Investment banker James King (Will Ferrell) is living the dream. He’s got the great paying job, the treasure-laden estate, the trophy girlfriend, the status-worthy car, staff and clothing. The only thing that seems to be […]