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
The superhero genre has become so dark and self-serious, not to mention over-saturated, that it’s rapidly becoming a parody of itself. Guardians of the Galaxy seems aware of this and succeeds as a largely character and script-driven experience. Hardly any of the story is original, right down to the MacGuffin that… Continue reading
There are going to be a lot of people wanting to know what kind of hallucinogens writer/director Luc Besson was on when he came up with Lucy. This is one bonkers movie, filled with enough sci-fi concepts for an entire series and just enough grisly action to get by during its… Continue reading
Writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait has become quite the daring and provocative filmmaker in his post-acting years. His God Bless America and World’s Greatest Dad are both biting satires and pitch black social commentaries on contemporary America. With Willow Creek, Goldthwait switches gears completely and explores the found footage horror sub-genre. It’s one… Continue reading
It can probably be said that A Million Ways to Die in the West is the first and only film where my primary complaint is too many shots of sheep penises (i.e. more than zero). Such are the breaks when viewing a Seth MacFarlane film. He has chosen to follow… Continue reading
Neighbors is that kind of comedy that, more often than not, we’re complaining about rather than praising: the kitchen sink comedy. You know the kind; it throws everything at the wall and sees what sticks. When they don’t work, they’re annoying. When they do work, as is the case of… Continue reading
Draft Day takes on the challenging task of balancing the sports-nerd event that is the NFL draft with a story that the average, non-football fan can take in. The results are mixed, with the verbal battles between the general managers making for far better entertainment than the sappy and under-cooked… Continue reading
Pompeii may have razor-thin characters and the least-convincing romance of the past few years, but one thing it is not is boring. As sort of a cross between Dante’s Peak, Gladiator, and Titanic, it blows up people and ancient architecture as efficiently as any disaster movie could. There are plenty of… Continue reading
A lean, old-school espionage thriller that never tries to be more than it is, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a very pleasant surprise and possible franchise starter from director Kenneth Branagh. Based upon the character created by the late Tom Clancy (not based on any novel this time, just the… Continue reading
It would only seem natural to assume that Grudge Match is some kind of “Rocky v. Raging Bull” spinoff, but there’s nothing to indicate that it is. Sure, there’s some potshots at both films, but Grudge Match positions itself as more of a light-hearted comedy that fully understands the ridiculousness… Continue reading