The Boxtrolls is another dark, edgy, macabre story from the same team that brought us ParaNorman and Coraline. If you’ve seen one or both of those films, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect here. Directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi and their team have created some of… Continue reading
Force Majeure examines how one split-second decision can shake up the trust between a married couple and the family unit as a whole. That decision also results in what may be the worst family vacation ever. An export from Sweden, the film is an exquisitely filmed, awkward, and challenging drama… Continue reading
Happy Christmas is a solidly-acted, meandering effort that doesn’t really amount to much. It contains some thoughtful passages on the challenges of everyday life with a toddler and the yearning to take care of a family member that is struggling to find his/her way in life, but the film isn’t very engrossing… Continue reading
It’s been twenty years since Dumb and Dumber landed in theaters and went on to become a comedy classic. That a sequel wasn’t made in the 1990’s defies logic by today’s standards, when turning even a small profit sends studio execs into daydreams of a franchise. Dumb and Dumber To… Continue reading
20 Years Ago Throughout your life, you’re going to have memorable movie-going experiences. Be it something that happens at the theater itself or in the movie (or both), certain nights out just make an indelible impression on you. As a frequent movie-goer basically since I was old enough to walk, I’ve… Continue reading
Chef is the kind of enjoyable, good-natured comedy that’s frequently accused of being a vanity project by detractors. Written, directed, and co-produced by Jon Favreau, the film is light on conflict but heavy on familiar themes such as appreciating your family and work to live, not live to work. It… Continue reading
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a true original; a work of technical wizardry, virtuoso acting, and compelling storytelling unlike anything we’ve seen before. Featuring only a few locations and long, single takes of dialogue-driven material, the film never lets up for an instant and always keeps the viewer on… Continue reading
Tackling a topic as complex, difficult, and at times downright uncomfortable as race relations in the United States is never easy. Dear White People, the feature film debut from writer/director Justin Simien, stares it right in the face with a combination of biting satire, understated anger, and a whole lot of… Continue reading
The Other Woman plays like a movie that was made by people that actively hate the script. It is a grotesque, shrill, never-ending effort that always finds a way to sink a little lower just when you’re positive there’s no way it can. Not only is it wholly damaging in its… Continue reading
Bringing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the big screen has been one of the more interesting cinematic case studies of the past twenty-plus years. Whether live action, animation, or, in this case, motion-capture combined with live action, it’s pretty much impossible for the turtles not to be some combination of… Continue reading