It seems like we’ve all been uttering the question “is this really necessary?” a lot lately with film, especially in terms of sequels. I freely admit this was my first response to the news that Director Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford would be collaborating for another Indiana Jones adventure –… Continue reading
I take back everything I ever said about 1998’s Armageddon being the epitome of sensory overload. The Wachowski Brothers’ Speed Racer is certainly an ambitious visual project, but aside from that it is a misfire without much of an audience (it seems to be aiming squarely for the pre-teen, sugared-up… Continue reading
At long last, a comic book adaptation that doesn’t reek of smugness. This is admittedly not my favorite genre, and that’s due in large part to not only the quantity and sheer mediocrity of its entrants, but also a self-seriousness that, in my view, can only be laughed at. Batman… Continue reading
Harold & Kumar go to White Castle came out of nowhere and exceeded most people’s expectations four years ago. While a good portion of the country didn’t even know what White Castle was (as a native Ohioan, I’m more than familiar with the infamous “sliders”), the film nevertheless grew a… Continue reading
The dream of Jackie Chan and Jet Li teaming up has been swimming in the heads of film geeks for years. Both are martial arts masters, but both also have vastly different demeanors. Chan has always been a fan favorite as the everyman who is always caught in the wrong… Continue reading
I realize the divorce rate is 50% here in the States, but does that mean that nearly every Indie flick has to be about dysfunctional families? I’ve had about enough of these sad sack snobs – and as a film critic I’m supposed to be one! Smart People, whose title… Continue reading
It’s going to take a mound of evidence to convince me that Street Kings isn’t a parody. The film is entertaining, yes, but that often comes with police dramas laced with over-the-top tough-guy dialogue, brute violence, and a penchant for implausible plot twists. We know that director David Ayer and… Continue reading
Of all the things that incite anger regarding the Iraq War (and there are too many to count), the “stop-lossing” of soldiers should be higher up on the list than it probably is for most. We hear stories of soldiers who are on their third or fourth tour of duty… Continue reading
I have no doubt that a 70’s funk-style basketball comedy starring Will Ferrell with giant, frizzy hair sounded great at a pitch meeting. Had a script been written, I’m confident that we could have had a great comedy on our hands. Instead, we get what largely looks to be drawn-out… Continue reading
Vantage Point is, unapologetically, a gimmick movie, and on that level it works. It’s refreshing to see a film based around politics that isn’t preachy, doesn’t have an agenda, and instead just goes for straight-up frenetic action. That’s not to say it doesn’t become maddening repetitive at times (only about… Continue reading