An unpredictable Boston hood turns FBI informant with unexpected consequences in the violent, cartoonish drama Black Mass. A young gangster from “Southy” grows up seeing only one path for his life — crime. James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) knows that power and intimidation are the key ingredients to expanding his influence and empire. He surrounds […]
Two young siblings spend a disturbing week with their estranged grandparents in the painfully sophomoric thriller The Visit. Single mom Paula Jamison (Kathryn Hahn) left home in a huff 15 years ago and never looked back. A decade-and-a-half later, Paula feels the guilt of raising two children with no knowledge of their own grandparents. She […]
A highly debated and mostly unaccepted theory to housebreak a dog is to rub its nose in the mess that it left behind to try to teach it not to do it there again. After seeing The Visit, the latest release from Philly’s own M. Night Shyamalan, I feel like the filmmaker is rubbing our […]
Movie critics often compare films to roller coasters. There are highs and lows as well as exciting parts and quiet moments. I’ve done it myself. Sometimes, that’s exactly what the experience in the theater feels like. Imagine if a ride took off and stayed at an intense speed for the duration. They exist. These speed-focused […]
The best horror-film villains can be resurrected from film to film and have those appearances somehow seem fresh depending on the filmmakers and plots. Although there were many bad entries in the Friday the 13th series, I always enjoyed seeing Jason Voorhees and his iconic hockey mask in the latest installment because he was the […]
A reclusive corporate tycoon is on the hunt for a genetically engineered super soldier in the erratic video game adaptation Hitman: Agent 47. The characters and concept behind this film come from a popular 15-year-old video game series. The success of such films often pales in comparison to the success of the games on which they’re based. […]
You’ve heard before that you should never judge a book by its cover. I just learned this week that I should also never judge a stoner by his long hair and flannel. I wasn’t sure what to expect with American Ultra. I only knew that it was about a guy who was lazily coasting through […]
An unlikely team of international spies join forces to keep a shadowy criminal organization from acquiring a nuclear bomb in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. James Bond burst onto the big screen for the first time in 1962 with the release of Dr. No. Its success created a frenzy of new films and shows eager to […]
A network desperate for ratings unwittingly ignites an iconic political firestorm in the fascinating documentary Best of Enemies. In 1968, the populace of the United States suddenly found itself torn in half on several fronts. The escalating war in Vietnam pitted son against father. The Civil Rights movement set black against white. The growing women’s […]
Have you ever run into an old friend or schoolmate and tried to escape as quickly as possible? Small talk can’t possibly get any smaller in situations like that. Maybe you don’t remember that person, or maybe the reason for that awkward feeling is that you know them all too well. This kind of random […]
Some superhero movies in the ‘80s and ‘90s were really bad. The Punisher is my favorite comic book character, and 1989’s The Punisher tanked because it was both a bad movie and a bad adaptation of the comic. The quality of the films with Marvel characters really ramped up with Iron Man and carried forward […]
Love him or hate him for any reason, Tom Cruise remains an international movie star and box office draw. Some movie companies stake their budgets on these facts, and it doesn’t always work out. Over the past two decades, the Mission: Impossible franchise has featured some of Cruise’s best work in that time period. Characterized […]