Olympus Has Fallen Review
RATING: (3 STARS) While far from great cinema, Olympus Has Fallen, from director Antoine Fuqua, delivers exactly what it promises. It’s a patriotism-soaked exercise in John McClane-esque badassery. Was my red, white, and blue blood boiling while North Korean extremists swooped in and took the White House? Yes. Were my knuckles white with excitement while […]
Monsters University Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Three of Pixar‘s last four films have been “familiar” projects. Whether a sequel (Toy Story 3, Cars 2) or a prequel (Monsters University), the idea that the beloved animation studio was out of “original” ideas—or at least that the minds at Pixar were content falling back on the familiar—have permeated many a […]
Mud Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Nobody makes movies like Jeff Nichols, few people make movies as well as Jeff Nichols, and Jeff Nichols has never made a movie as rich and satisfying as Mud. The film is ultimately about love in all of its messy incarnations, but told from a child’s perspective, it takes the shape of […]
The Official “Lone Ranger Team Hit Back at Critics” Commentary
Full disclosure: I have not seen The Lone Ranger. I’m merely poking fun at—née poking holes in—the irritating argument against film critics who both have it out for movies and have the uncanny ability to tank any film they have it out for. James Haygood, The Lone Ranger‘s editor, took to Facebook days after his […]
Jeff Nichols Movies
Jeff Nichols movies are almost synonymous with the American South, and while they’re few in number, Jeff Nichols movies have made an indelible mark on the independent film world over the past half-decade or so. At just 34 years of age, Jeff Nichols has accomplished a ton. He’s opened films at Sundance, Viennale, and Cannes […]
The Canyons Review
RATING: (2 STARS) There’s something perversely mesmerizing about the cinematic train wreck that is The Canyons, the latest from director Paul Schrader. Maybe it’s the director’s confidence. This pulpy, sex-fueled story is utter nonsense, but it’s entertaining nonsense. The performances from porn star James Deen and tabloid queen Lindsay Lohan are abysmal, but they’re also […]
What Else I’m Watching: July 2013
A former monthly column at John Likes Movies comes back. Why? Because you can’t review them all. Sadly, life gets in the way of writing about everything I see, so this space is as much for keeping track of what I’m watching as it is for you to share your thoughts on what are, with […]
Archie’s Final Project Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) This review was written as part of “The CK’s Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap (in July)”, a community project from The Cinematic Katzenjammer. Please catch up with the idea for this project and the other reviews written for it here. Archie’s Final Project boasts a rather fascinating concept, a compelling story, and an […]
Christopher Nolan Movies
Christopher Nolan movies carry a mark that’s easy to spot from a mile away. Forget if you can the almost overwhelming hype that, like clockwork, accompanies each and every Christopher Nolan movie (or at least every film of his since The Dark Knight), Christopher Nolan movies also feature labyrinthine stories, blaring scores, and Michael Caine. […]
TIFF 2013: Top 10 Intriguing Performances
We’ve still got plenty of time to dissect the 2013 TIFF lineup and its films’s Oscar chances. Hell, we’ve still got plenty of 2013 TIFF films to be announced. In lieu of yet another list of the most promising 2013 TIFF films or the movies with the most Oscar buzz, I’m turning my eye toward […]
The Worst DVD Cover Ever?
I’m rather excited to catch up with Sally Potter’s Ginger & Rosa. I’m told it features a great Elle Fanning performance (absolutely no surprise there), and some pretty terrific cinematography from Robbie Ryan. But please, is this not the worst DVD cover you’ve ever seen? Absolutely nothing draws me to it (except, perhaps, it’s epic […]
Ranking the 2015 Blockbuster Movies
As if we didn’t need another reason to totally flip about the big movies of 2015, Comic-Con came and went this past week, and DC announced a Superman/Batman on-screen meeting about 24 months from now. Incidentally, we also got a nice nugget of news about another big superhero collaboration, 2015’s sequel to The Avengers (now […]
Woody Allen Movies
Woody Allen movies, perhaps more so than those of any other director working today, are easily identifiable. And that isn’t to say Woody Allen movies repeat themselves. On the contrary, though there has been a Woody Allen movie almost every year since the early 1970s, he’s explored themes as wide-ranging as falling in love, falling […]
Sunday Afternoon with Criterion: Lord of the Flies Edition
I: Intro II: Desert Island Criterion Movies III: Lord of the Flies IV: What’s New? V: Links Intro Welcome to Sunday Afternoon with Criterion, a series of fortnightly posts on JohnLikesMovies.com covering everything Criterion—the company’s newest releases, just-announced projects, reviews, lists, links, and more. I caught up with Peter Brook’s Lord of the Flies earlier […]
Reality Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Matteo Garrone made a name for himself internationally back in 2008 with the release of Gomorrah, an Italian crime epic with a lot to say about the sociopolitical state of his home country. Gomorrah won Garrone the Grand Prix at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, and his latest, Reality, won the same […]
The Fifth Estate: Oscar Sleeper?
Click on over to my 2014 Oscar Predictions page to see everything I’m forecasting in the major categories. We got our first look at Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate via a slick-looking trailer that’s among my favorites of the year. The film, too, is one I’m anticipating greatly, and since my first round of 2014 […]
