Chloe Review
RATING: (2 STARS) There’s no doubt Atom Egoyan is a talented director. The Sweet Hereafter is one of the most devastating movies I’ve ever seen. And he’s certainly capable of crafting a smart, adult, and erotic motion picture—as evidenced by Exotica. Unfortunately, while ‘adult’ and ‘erotic’ would describe his latest film, Chloe, well, ‘smart’ certainly […]
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Forget Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Forget Max Payne. Forget every other shitty video game adaptation you may or may not have seen in the past few years because Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the movie gamers out there have been waiting for. No, it’s not technically based on […]
Erin Brockovich Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) I don’t really understand the whole “Julia Roberts is America’s sweetheart†thing. Sure, Pretty Woman is great fun, but she spent most of the ‘90s doing average (or in many cases, below average) romantic comedies. For some reason, people ate it up, and by 2000, she was one of the biggest movie […]
Platoon Review
RATING: (4 STARS) I never thought I’d see a war film as brutal and uncompromising as The Deer Hunter, but Oliver Stone’s quasi-autobiographical film Platoon comes awfully close. The film’s you-are-there approach isn’t totally unique, but it has rarely been put to better use. Platoon gives you an idea of what war does to you […]
Brooklyn’s Finest Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Director Antoine Fuqua is more than capable of creating a compelling crime drama. His Training Day proved that. But his latest, Brooklyn’s Finest, is a frustrating hodgepodge of cop-movie clichés and unfocused ideas. The film’s structure is great. It recalls Crash, and sets up a film that seeks to explain a different […]
A Prophet Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Director Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet is as well-told as it is unoriginal. The story of a young Arab prisoner rising up the ranks of the Corsican mafia isn’t really anything new, but it’s still a great genre picture. Recalling films like The Shawshank Redemption and Goodfellas, as well as HBO’s television series […]
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was reportedly more than halfway completed when its star, Heath Ledger, suddenly passed away. Instead of scrapping the film, director Terry Gilliam decided to push on and fill in the blanks of Ledger’s performance with CGI, makeup, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. The rewrites that […]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day Review
RATING: (4 STARS) After the smashing success of The Terminator on home video and the brilliance of Aliens, director James Cameron was giving the keys to the kingdom for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The budget increased exponentially over the first film in the series, and Cameron was permitted to take a major risk—turn Arnold Schwarzenegger’s […]
The Broadway Melody Review
RATING: (2 STARS) “The Broadway Melody†won the Best Picture award at the second Oscar ceremony all the way back in 1930. It’s generally regarded as one of the worst films to take home that prize, and I can’t quibble with that sentiment. It’s easy to see why people would like this picture eighty years […]
Despicable Me Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Despicable Me is what I would consider a great animated film—if only Pixar didn’t exist. It’s fun and heartwarming, but the Pixar magic isn’t quite there. The arc is completely predictable, and the laughs are fewer and far between than any Pixar film. I think the bar for animation has been set […]
The Ghost Writer Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The Ghost Writer is an interesting enough thriller from director Roman Polanski, but there’s just nothing great about it. It keeps you at a distance for its first two-thirds before finally allowing you to become absorbed in it. Its subject is intriguing, and Polanski’s direction is quite good, so I’m recommending it. […]
Patton Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) There’s a four-star movie dying to get out of “Patton.†The first half of the film is some of the best stuff I’ve seen, and the central performance is larger-than-life, just like Patton himself. But the second half of the film gets bogged down in repetitive battles and character interaction. The film […]
The Godfather: Part II Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) It’s often called the greatest sequel ever and is as highly regarded as its extraordinary predecessor, The Godfather. Yet, I think Francis Ford Coppola takes a step back with “The Godfather Part II.†It’s a very good film—nobody can deny that. Like the original, it follows the trajectory of an epic Greek […]
From Paris with Love Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) Pierre Morel’s “From Paris with Love†is the kind of generic action film that would’ve been right at home in the summer of 2010. It tried to capitalize on the early-year success of last year’s “Taken,†which is also directed by Morel, but it flamed out. It’s not as bad as its […]
The Kids Are All Right Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) “The Kids Are All Right†is an extraordinary film about the inner workings of a “non-traditional†family. The film, exquisitely directed by Lisa Cholodenko, tells a story that’s unique to these characters, but its ability to capture the messy feelings and relationships inherent in any family is what elevates it from great […]
The Dark Knight Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The sequel to the excellent “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight” is only the best superhero movie of all time. And the contest isn’t even close. Director Christopher Nolan creates such a dark world, it’s hard to believe this is the same character as played by George Clooney (remember the bat-nipples?). For something […]
