An aimless, down-on-his-luck history professor goes on an unexpected journey with his estranged family in The Discoverers. Lewis Birch (Griffin Dunne) has seen better days. This once highly-regarded academic now finds himself working as a part-time professor at a small, unremarkable community college. His divorce, years ago, has left him distanced from his his droll […]
A straight-talking, unfiltered New York comedienne’s one-night stand brings an unanticipated focus to her life in Obvious Child. Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) is a take-charge kind of woman, albeit with often dubious effectiveness. Even though her Mom thinks she should be doing more with her 780 SAT score, she prefers the challenge of the local comedy […]
Buddy cop movies work best when there’s just as much humor or more as there is investigation into some crime. If you think back through the entries in some of the best franchises in this genre like Beverly Hills Cop, Rush Hour, Lethal Weapon and even The Heat, you also realize that one of the […]
A slowly-dying, remote harbor community needs a doctor to close a deal to save its future and plans to get one by any means in The Grand Seduction. The picturesque but isolated town of Tickle Head, on the coast of Newfoundland, has struggled for decades to remain relevant. Its better days are just a distant memory […]
Two middle-aged, wayward prep-school teachers debate the value of their chosen subjects in Words and Pictures. The history of the written word goes back more than 5,000 years. The history of art-based imagery goes back even further. Both have captured the best and worst of humanity throughout our storied existence. Poets, playwrights, painters and psychopaths […]
I love comedies, and I enjoy certain types of Westerns as well, especially those that push the boundaries in some way like Unforgiven or The Proposition. A Million Ways to Die in the West purports to be a Western comedy, yet it satisfies only the Western half of that description with its setting. It doesn’t […]
A spineless sheep rancher, obsessed with the harsh realities of Nineteenth Century life, falls for the wrong woman in A Million Ways to Die in the West. Animated TV comedy virtuoso Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy and American Dad) spoofs the classic Western at the helm of his second feature-length movie. The look and sound of the film’s […]
Two divorced parents transform a horrid blind date into a surprise African vacation in the romantic comedy Blended. An overly laid-back store manager and father of three girls, Jim Friedman (Adam Sandler), goes on a blind date with an obsessive closet organizer and mother of two boys named Lauren Reynolds (Drew Barrymore). Jim’s used to having a […]
An introverted office worker, stuck in a mundane life, meets his twin but quickly learns they’re nothing alike in The Double. There must have been something in the water in Hollywood a while back. In the past year, we’ve seen the release of at least three major doppelganger-based films. Earlier this year, we had Ed Harris […]
A frustrated top chef loses his way before a food truck leads him back in Chef. Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) sweats every detail as the head of a top kitchen’s staff in a very popular Los Angeles restaurant. The owner is a very successful but risk-averse entrepreneur whom we only know as Riva (Dustin Hoffman). They […]
Comedies go in cycles, and every now and then, an outrageous gross-out comedy surfaces and tries to match the success of past winners like The Hangover or just about every Farrelly Brothers entry. We’re the Millers was one of last year’s funniest films, and it managed to keep the laughs coming at a tremendous pace. […]
A couple with an infant daughter find their idyllic suburban world shattered when a fraternity unexpectedly moves in next door in Neighbors. Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) are happily going about their business as first-time parents, obsessing over their young daughter. They’re just managing to keep it all in razor-sharp balance […]