Gangster Squad is an absolutely bananas shoot ’em up that seems plenty content being just that. The story, wearing the “based on true events” tag with a permanent wink, couldn’t be simpler and it’s all basically a coat hook for bloody shootouts, of which there are many. Those expecting a… Continue reading
Welcome back, Middle-earthers. Nearly a decade after launching his Lord of the Rings trilogy, director Peter Jackson returns with another set of three films, this time adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved book, The Hobbit. The first part, An Unexpected Journey, is a well-made spectacle that makes up for overall lacking… Continue reading
“Argo f*ck yourself!” That’s the punch line to the “knock knock” joke that inspired the fake sci-fi film at the heart of Argo, actor/director Ben Affleck’s outstanding film about what has to be one of the strangest CIA missions in the history of the United States. Working from a fantastic… Continue reading
“War has rules, mud wrestling has rules – politics has no rules.” – Ross Perot That’s the quote on the opening title card of The Campaign, and it’s a pretty apt description of the film itself. In a political world gone crazy with outlandish accusations and endless pots of money,… Continue reading
Why are these movies so depressing? Having seen both Happy Feet films, I have left both with a sense of puzzling sadness. That takes some effort considering the central basis for the films are talking, singing penguins. But both films have also had unsettling agendas, putting our beloved penguins in… Continue reading
J. Edgar is a by-the-numbers biopic that’s just never quite as engaging as it should be. Interesting things happen onscreen, but there is an inexplicably empty, sterile feel to the whole affair. This seems surprising considering that J. Edgar Hoover is one of the more polarizing characters in all of… Continue reading
Nary could a soul in 2004 have predicted that it would be 2011 and we would have another Harold & Kumar movie. This has to be one of the most unlikely franchises of all time, but here we are seven years after the original and these guys have delivered once… Continue reading
The return of the viral outbreak film has been a long time coming (there hasn’t been one without zombies since 1995’s cheeky Outbreak), and Contagion is a damned good one. Feeling chillingly realistic throughout, director Steven Soderbergh and an all-star cast deliver a tense, first-rate thriller that will have you… Continue reading
Horrible Bosses is a consistently funny tale of three disgruntled workers trying to off their bosses. It’s a Three Stooges routine, more or less, and plenty crude. While the idea seems to qualify as a black comedy, the execution just feels too darn nice. It’s virtually impossible not be reminded… Continue reading
Green Lantern is a loud, obnoxious, joyless video game that pretty much makes you want to write off superhero origin movies all together. The genre has become such a cash cow that studios now just assume that throwing a character onto the heap automatically guarantees a franchise. Warner Brothers may… Continue reading