Mission: Impossible—Fallout Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) For the longest time, the Mission: Impossible franchise felt disjointed. Different directors—Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, Brad Bird—brought different styles to essentially the same story, and the supporting cast, while consistently enjoyable, was always changing to the point that it was difficult to connect with anyone outside of Tom Cruise’s […]
Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Five films into the Mission: Impossible series, and you sort of think you know everything you’re going to get—death-defying action, lots of Tom Cruise faces, masks, exotic locations, etc. It’s a variation on the James Bond theme, just like the Fast & Furious franchise has become a variation on the Mission: Impossible […]
Aloha Review
RATING: (3 STARS) You’re enjoyment of Cameron Crowe’s Aloha will likely be dependent upon how much you subscribe to and are interested in film’s auteur theory—or the idea that a director’s personal creative vision is the driving force behind a finished onscreen product. Filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese are proof positive […]
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) There are a lot of obvious and superficial similarities between Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me and, from a few years ago, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Both follow older women with years of experience in show business as they struggle to keep up with what the demands of their careers. They both […]
Blue Jasmine Review
RATING: (3 STARS) In 1988, Pedro Almodóvar directed Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. In 2013, Woody Allen directed Blue Jasmine, a.k.a. “Woman on the Verge of Another Nervous Breakdown (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Stoli Martinis with a Twist of Lemon)”. Blue Jasmine is a far cry from […]
To Rome with Love Review
RATING: (2 STARS) After lighting up the City of Lights after dark in Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen takes his talents to Rome for another ensemble comedy—To Rome with Love. Though it’s packed with talented actors and actresses (and features Allen’s return to acting for the first time since 2006’s Scoop), it’s sloppily constructed and […]
Rock of Ages Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) “I wanna rock!” exclaimed Twisted Sister in its famous 1984 song. It’s safe to assume most men and women attending Adam Shankman’s Rock of Ages would feel the same way. Well, hopefully they don’t mind Glee-style bastardizations of their beloved rock anthems because that’s Rock of Ages‘ modus operandi. Its numbers are […]
2010 OSCARS: Recapping the Show
Ugh, can we do that one over again? I’m not only referring to my predictions which were uncharacteristically poor, but also the show itself. I haven’t read many other people’s thoughts on the show, but I was quite unimpressed. This was the weakest show in recent memory. Maybe it’s awards fatigue this year, or perhaps […]
The Departed Review
RATING: (4 STARS) “The Departed†is director Martin Scorsese’s best work since “Taxi Driver.†Yeah, I said it. I think this film is better than “Goodfellas†and “Raging Bull.†In fact, for a long time, this film was my standard answer for the dreaded “What’s your favorite movie?†question. I no longer hold it in […]
It’s Complicated Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Nancy Meyers is part of a rare breed, directors capable of making a good adult comedy. It’s a hard thing to do, crafting a film full of laughs that’s commercially viable while avoiding gross-out humor and raunchy Apatow-style sex jokes. She did it with “Something’s Gotta Give” (a bloated but enjoyable film), […]
The Aviator Review
RATING: (3 STARS) When you sit down for a Martin Scorsese film, it would be fair to expect some fast-talking Italians, profanity laced-tirades, extremely violent killings, and of course, The Rolling Stones. But in “The Aviator,” we get the glamorous stars of old Hollywood, some beautifully photographed flying sequences, a sweeping romance, and the music […]
