Concert films come in all flavors. There are the kinds that mix backstage footage with the performances, and then there are the types that just show the concerts from various angles but don’t add more to the mix. The latter types are almost never released to theaters other than Fathom Events, which are usually screened […]
The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie. Period. It has everything I like about a great adventure or musical — memorable characters, catchy tunes, quests, a really evil character, comic relief, amazing special effects (for the time), a talented lead actress and even flying monkeys. Imagine my surprise when I learned that they were going […]
A protective father takes matters into his own hands when he comes to the realization that the police aren’t willing to do what’s necessary to help recover his missing daughter in Prisoners. Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) and his wife Grace (Maria Bello) live a typical western Pennsylvania suburban lifestyle. They’re religious, conservative types who enjoy […]
A trio of sex addicts work together to fight their challenging addiction in Thanks for Sharing. Sex addiction is a very misunderstood issue. There’s not even complete consensus on its validity, with many people believing it’s just an outlet for men to be able to excuse their bad behavior under the guise of a disease. […]
For a little while, it seemed that people on the Internet had stopped talking about Ben Affleck being cast as Batman in the Man of Steel sequel. Then he went on Jimmy Kimmel yesterday and talked about the reaction. Once again, there are blog posts about “Batfleck,” which I’m fully aware I’m adding to right […]
About halfway through watching Insidious: Chapter 2, I realized exactly how to think about this subgenre of horror movies. This sequel, the original Insidious, the recent The Conjuring and so many others are really the film equivalent of a walkthrough haunted house that you might visit around Halloween in sites across the country, including transformed amusement […]
Vin Diesel first entered the consciousness of moviegoers with Pitch Black (2000) and The Fast and the Furious a year later even though he had small roles in Saving Private Ryan and Boiler Room. Diesel knows how to give back to his fans and doesn’t snub his nose at the movies that propelled him to […]
A bookish loner spends her life savings to experience a dream vacation where everything is like a Jane Austen novel in Austenland. Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) is the consummate Jane Austen fan. She has read her books countless times, knows the movies by heart and even has a life-size cutout of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Her fascination […]
A washed-up race car driver is forced to drive haphazardly around Bulgaria in order to help save the life of his kidnapped wife in the action film Getaway. Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke), living abroad in Bulgaria, returns home one day to find his apartment in shambles and his wife missing. Suddenly, his cell phone rings […]
Two recently assigned London attorneys try to defend their client, accused of terrorism, and realize that all is not as it seems in the tense thriller Closed Circuit. An alleged terrorist is arrested and accused of being the mastermind behind a brutal bombing that killed more than 120 in the heart of London. Martin Rose […]
Eggs and soldiers is a British breakfast treat in which boiled eggs have the tops lopped off so that toast sticks (the “soldiers”) can be dipped in the runny yellow part. I never heard about this method of serving eggs until I saw it in a movie. Although it’s unusual to us Yanks, I would […]
Last year, Ben Affleck joined the select group of actors who directed films that won the Best Picture academy award. He has since followed that up by signing up to play Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, which has perplexed two groups of filmgoers. There are some comic book fans who don’t think […]