Traitor is a serviceable thriller with a couple of nice twists and some amazing locations, but it never really decides what it wants to be. As an action/suspense film, it misses the mark by being too talky. As a drama and commentary on current geopolitical and religious themes, it’s too… Continue reading
The Dark Knight is an unbridled masterpiece; a dark and gloomy commentary on the state of our country today. Filmed in blacks and dark blues, there are only occasional rays of hope as Batman takes on Gotham’s latest batch of evil. Yet there is a feeling of giddiness as you… Continue reading
I knew the Sex and the City screening was going to be some kind of surreal experience. Here I am, a 26-year-old straight male – the last demographic on the planet for this material – and I’m supposed to sit through two hours of girly girl tripe. Granted, Sex and… 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
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
Ah, the romantic comedy. I have a love/hate relationship with this drama, as it does have the capacity to spew out some of the worst garbage of the year. When done, correctly, however, it can be one of the most winning trips to the movies couples can make. How is… Continue reading
A SNL skit stretched out by about eighty-five minutes, First Sunday is a comedy of the most desperate type. It goes for slapstick. When that doesn’t work it tries one-liners. When that doesn’t work it goes for sentimentality. Stuck in the middle are Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan, two occasionally… Continue reading
I Am Legend is a prime example of a great idea gone wrong in the hopes of pleasing everyone. What starts off as a compelling drama descends into a stock B-grade horror flick with some of the worst big budget special effects of recent memory. It’s really a shame, because… Continue reading