This a self-indulgent tribute to the self-absorbed profession of acting. It stars Michael Keaton (ironically, as the former star of the fictional “Birdman” comic book movies), who’s now desperately trying to revive his stalled career on Broadway. There is much about this movie that is loathesome – its pretentiousness, its over-acting and its recurring bait-and-switch […]
As sequels go, it’s not half bad. Once you suspend disbelief over its flimsy premise, where America permits a night each year where people can commit murder without recourse, there are enough shocks and twists to keep this fast-paced flick entertaining, despite its annoyingly recurring and overly-simplistic “poor people good, rich people bad” motif.
A well-crafted script and excellent performances by Julia Louis Dreyfus and the late James Gandolfini give wings to this simple, sweet movie about two divorced, soon-to-be empty nesters trying to navigate their own quirks and flaws to find love. Both Dreyfus and Gandolfini exhibit a uncharacteristic vulnerability that is really touching to witness.
On its surface it looks like yet another cheap Blair Witch Project found footage knockoff, but this demonic possession horror film has enough clever twists and truly scary moments to stand on its own merit. The story is straightforward enough – after years of taking advantage of gullible followers with his parlor tricks, a charming […]
This situational comedy, about a local TV news anchor stranded in drug and hooker-filled downtown L.A. hours before her big network break, is derivative and at times painfully bad. But despite the high cheese factor, there are still enough laugh out loud moments to satisfy fans who fell in love with Elizabeth Banks in the […]
Meryl sings! Anna sings! Emily sings! And they are all REALLY, REALLY good! The musical itself, however – an adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim fairy tale melding classic – is just okay. The meticulous weaving of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood is actually quite brilliant – it’s just that […]
This low-budget creepfest is one of 2014’s most unsettling films. Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey) and Harry Treadaway (Penny Dreadful) star as newlyweds whose remote, wooded cabin honeymoon is disrupted by a mysterious nighttime incident that gradually spirals into horror. Despite a slow start, this subtle psychological thriller plays on the insecurities of […]
What easily could have been a cheesy teen melodrama about two young lovers battling cancer, is instead honest, funny, heartfelt and ultimately heart wrenching, thanks to standout performances by its adorable stars, Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. Prepare to bawl your eyes out.
A DUFF is a Designated Ugly Fat Friend, and when the star of this teen angst movie discovers she’s the DUFF to her two best friends, she enlists the help of her sexy football jock neighbor to change that. While this movie is a predictable, derivative hybrid of Mean Girls and Easy A, its positive […]
Sometimes it takes getting lost to find yourself. That is the message behind this subtle, introspective film, based on the bestselling 2012 memoir by Cheryl Strayed. Reese Witherspoon’s gritty performance captures the highs and lows of Strayed’s months-long, 1100 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail – a solo journey Strayed embarked upon following the […]