A recently-separated teacher becomes the obsession of her 19-year-old neighbor in The Boy Next Door. Life for Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) would seem nearly ideal for most people. She lives in a large, beautiful, upper-middle-class house with her teenage son, Kevin (Ian Nelson), surrounded by all of the essential trappings. The house is filled with […]
A renowned hacker is freed from federal prison to help track down a cybercriminal in Blackhat. Cybercriminals seem to always be one step ahead of technology. They have a knack for cracking any system regardless of how secure it might seem. Their latest successful attack includes hacking a Chinese nuclear power plant and the Chicago […]
A patriotic Navy SEAL becomes the country’s most lethal shot while struggling to cope with his own reality in American Sniper. Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) grew up as a God-fearing, America-loving Texas cowboy. His father taught him how to handle a rifle, how to handle bullies and, most importantly, how to handle himself. As soon […]
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 […]
After their son is killed in action, his recovering parents welcome one of his team into their home in The Guest. The Peterson family is enduring a tragedy that few of us can begin to truly comprehend and none of us want to experience. Caleb Peterson was killed during a combat mission in Afghanistan. His parents, Laura […]
I have followed the career of Keanu Reeves like most moviegoers from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure to Dracula to Speed through The Matrix and beyond. Hell, the guy even played Siddhartha in Little Buddha for the few of you who actually saw him in that movie. He’s got an impressive list of films. Although […]
A determined reporter for a small-time paper uncovers a shocking government conspiracy that threatens his very existence in Kill the Messenger. While investigating the curious case of a major drug dealer who’s seemingly impervious to prosecution, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner) discovers a CIA connection that leads him ever deeper down a dark, disturbing rabbit hole. […]
A mild-mannered husband copes with his wife’s disappearance and police who are increasingly skeptical of his innocence in Gone Girl. Beloved children’s book author Amy Elliot (Rosamund Pike) could have anyone. She’s bright, beautiful, wealthy and cultured. Into her life comes an unassuming, soft-spoken, but disarmingly suave man named Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck). His puppy dog-like adorableness and […]
Liam Neeson has evolved into one of the most reliable tough guys in motion pictures. His career certainly didn’t start out that way with most of his memorable work taking place in dramas like Rob Roy and Schindler’s List. He convinced me that he could be a badass when he lengthened both his hair and […]
A confused teen finds himself trapped at the center of a massive maze with no memory of who he is or his life before in The Maze Runner. Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is jolted awake from a foggy haze, unsure of everything he sees around him. He’s encircled by dozens of grizzled, suspicious boys who forcefully introduce him into […]
Movies are all about manipulation. Filmmakers have been using tricks to manipulate audiences since the very earliest recorded films that include a train coming directly at the audience and a magician disappearing repeatedly in flashes of smoke. These were simple matters of forced perspective and clever editing, but at the time, the audiences were fooled. […]
A small entourage joins a determined explorer in her latest adventure below the streets of Paris in As Above/So Below. A young Lara Croft-like adventurer, Scarlett (Perdita Weeks), has spent years in search of the elusive Philosopher’s Stone — a chemical substance that can turn lead into gold and bestow eternal life on its owner. […]