Author: Alabama Liberal

I’m conflicted about this because on the one hand this is a quiet independent film taking place in a long ago period that has the guts to open anywhere near the summer movie season, but on the other hand this is still technically a remake of a remake of an adaptation. What’s wrong with this picture when…

A thrilling, suspenseful, but ultimately limited movie that is really an extended chase scene. Even though this is a sequel/reboot, I think it might be as close as we get to an original blockbuster this summer, and I certainly can’t knock it for at least seeming different than the competition. What Works: Charlize Theron is really the star…

I guess I’ve held out long enough from helping the Marvel machine shake ten bucks from your pocket. Welp, no surprise that this sequel is worse than the original, but the original was one of the most overrated movies of the last few years, so let’s not get too disappointed. What Works: Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony…

I know, I know, I’m seriously slacking in bringing you news of this excellent documentary that has all but left theaters by now, but—let’s be honest—this is a movie most people will watch at home anyway. And see it they should. It’s not just the most “important” film I’ve seen this year, but also a…

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a big fan of these Disney nature documentaries, but this might be my least favorite out of the crop that I’ve seen. It’s a definite comedown after last year’s “Bears” which was the best of the ones I’ve seen and just an all-around good documentary based around compelling “characters” you…

Mea Culpa: This is really more of a partial review as I actually had a…well, a difficult time staying “fully conscious” during this movie. Part of that is my fault, but I will say that the thirty minutes or so of this movie that I missed really didn’t make me want to go back and re-watch it either….

Critical acclaim is a funny thing. Last year’s mega-flop “Transcendent” dealt Johnny Depp his 40th consecutive misfire and was uniformly dismissed by critics. But it also dealt with the question of artificial intelligence or “the singularity” in a way that felt—to this reviewer—interesting and at least somewhat unique. It showed that A.I. may not be something to…

Two terrific documentaries to add to your list… Kids for Cash: This doc exposes a “tough on crime” judge for what he really is: perhaps a fraud, and definitely a destroyer of kid’s lives. At the same time he gained a reputation for being notoriously hard on juvenile offenders—sentencing them to juvenile detention centers and maximum…

Not a lot of interesting movies have opened lately, so this Monday is as good a time as any to review some of the very last of last year’s crop. And why not kick things off with three low-key indie crime thrillers that are all worth a watch…to varying degrees… Blood Ties…This 70’s-set crime drama has an…

Did the first “Exotic Marigold Hotel” really need a sequel? Of course not, but a movie hasn’t needed a sequel since Francis Ford Coppola made “The Godfather II” so I’m not going to hold Hollywood’s sequelitis against a well-made, uplifting film. In fact, I think this new trend of indie or modest film sequels (like the great…