The adopted son of an Egyptian Pharaoh becomes an unlikely messenger for his people in Exodus: Gods and Kings. In his final years as Pharaoh, Seti (John Turturro) believes that his biological son Ramses (Joel Edgerton) doesn’t possess the right temperament to lead his people. It’s in his adopted son Moses (Christian Bale) that he […]
I’ve never been a fan of splitting movies. In recent years, when the last Harry Potter book was split into two movies, it opened the floodgates for other series like Twilight, The Hunger Games and The Hobbit to do the same. If I thought like a movie producer or company, I would see the brilliance […]
A brainy young teen, his robot companion and a group of misfit friends form an unlikely clan of crime fighters in the animated adventure Big Hero 6. Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) is a natural whiz at robotics engineering. That’s quite an accomplishment for an otherwise typical 14-year-old boy. He uses his skills to craft […]
A young woman sets her sights on completing a rigorous journey across 1,700 miles of Australian desert in Tracks. In 1975, Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska) embarked on a two-year internship, learning firsthand everything she could about Australian camels. These notoriously ill-tempered and unpredictable creatures would literally provide the backing for a grand journey she was driven to […]
A disillusioned psychiatrist travels the world looking to unravel the mystery behind true happiness in Hector and the Search for Happiness. Day after mundane day, Hector (Simon Pegg) doles out fairly useless advice to his cadre of miserable psychiatric patients with no sense of ever bringing them any real escape from their problems. The stress […]
A nefarious villain plans to gain entry into elite society by exterminating the creatures dwelling underground in the town in The Boxtrolls. The town of Cheesebridge lives in fear of flesh-eating monsters called Boxtrolls who, as their name suggests, wear discarded boxes over their ghastly figures to more easily hide among the town’s refuse. Each night, […]
As I get older, I find that it’s more difficult to get up the energy to even mow the lawn, let alone go off into battle or fight someone younger. I have immense respect for anyone who somehow pulls off these stunts in their golden years. Sylvester Stallone and crew face those kinds of challenges […]
Two elderly ex-brothers-in-law embark on an impromptu journey around the surreal landscape of Iceland in Land Ho! Newly-retired Texas doctor Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson) needs something to break the monotony that now dominates his life. It’s time for something drastic — something that might also bring a new perspective and outlook. Retirement has only underscored his […]
Reboots of franchises can be a good idea if they’re done right. The recent Godzilla is a perfect example of how a reboot can still feel fresh and entertain audiences. I can’t be as positive about the reboot — is this the second or third attempt? — of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to coincide with the 30th […]
It has been an interesting summer for the major superhero movies. Things started off strong with Captain America: The Winter Soldier because it went beyond its superhero origin. I was disappointed by The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which felt more like a romance to me than a film centered on a comic book character. X-Men: Days […]
A group of outcast misfits bands together in an attempt to save us all in Guardians of the Galaxy. In 1988, a young Earth child was abducted and raised by a group of space pirates known as the Ravagers. Now grown, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) sets his sights on a small, highly-coveted orb that the Ravagers have […]
Whenever I think of “talking monkeys,” I immediately call to mind the 1995 movie The Prophecy in which Christopher Walken and Viggo Mortensen used that term to disparagingly refer to human beings. (I often find that stupid or annoying people whom I encounter are no better than talking monkeys.) This term takes on an entirely […]