Watching TRON: Legacy, the long-awaited follow-up to 1982’s TRON, I was reminded of Siskel’s and Ebert’s 1995 roasting of Jumanji. Ebert stated that special effects have to be “at the service of the story.” It was correct then, and it is correct now. There will be very little debate regarding… Continue reading
Rabbit Hole is about as gentle and low-key as a film about the loss of a young son can be. Most can only imagine what such a tragedy would be like for a set of parents. Rather than dwell on the negative, Rabbit Hole takes us through a couple’s steps… Continue reading
I distinctly remember sitting in my college apartment in 2003 and reading the story of a hiker who cut his own arm off to free himself from a fallen boulder that had pinned it against a crevice wall. One can’t help but ask: What kind of mental state does a… Continue reading
Finally, a movie that depicts how women in a competitive environment actually feel about each other – at least I think. Black Swan is a spellbinding psychological thriller, a genre whose entrants have been sparse in recent history. Working with a fantastic cast and a first-rate script, director Darren Aronofsky… Continue reading
Why so serious? Faster, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is his return to seemingly watchable movies, is an unpleasant, cliché-ridden revenge-fantasy that goes about itself completely wrong. If you’re going to make a movie with absolutely zero redeemable characters, at least inject some life through black comedy or just take… Continue reading
RED, standing for Retired Extremely Dangerous, is one of the most preposterous films of the year, filled with a “how did they get these people to do this?” cast. It’s also one of the more entertaining; a celebration of crazy action and sly dialogue that has enough crossover appeal to… Continue reading
Life As We Know It contains what has to be the most unappetizing setup in romantic comedy history. Usually people bump carts at the grocery store or trip over each other on a New York City street. It’s what Ebert calls the “Meet Cute.” We have the two young and… Continue reading
Frozen is yet another entry into the man vs. nature survival picture genre, joining the ranks of Open Water and its ilk. Films like this live and die by the empathy level of the audience, not to mention their ability to place themselves in the exact situation. Frozen, which tells… Continue reading
The Social Network represents the type of wide theatrical release that we rarely see these days. It’s smart, brilliantly written, and tells a story that is incredibly absorbable. It’s a miracle of sorts, as computer programming and big-time advertising deals aren’t exactly things that are accessible to the everyday person.… Continue reading
The Switch, originally titled The Baster (how’s that for a mental image?), is a surprisingly effective and genuine romantic comedy. You’d never guess it from the premise, which with just a few rewrites could have been turned into one of the raunchiest comedies ever made. A shaky first act settles… Continue reading