Author: Alabama Liberal

Continuing with our theme of “films for fanboys/girls only that may be unsatisfying for the uninitiated” (that phrase could be used to help kids get over their stutter) is this sequel to 300. What Works: I had a hard time with this movie mostly because I never held the original “300” to the high esteem…

Just like with “The Wind Rises” this is a film that die-hard fans will enjoy much more than the uninitiated. Unlike “The Wind Rises,” this movie is the very first wide release to be “crowd-funded” (through Kickstarter) meaning that I really hope die-hard fans enjoy it since they’re essentially paying for the same movie twice,…

Fans of legendary anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki need no introduction to this film (also revealed to be his last), but not so sure it’ll really captivate anyone else. I would label it “for fans only” and not necessarily the best film to win over converts. What Works: This is probably the hardest film to grade…

Liam Neeson can do wrong at the box office right now, but I’m not so sure this is the best creative period of his career, and it’s a little disheartening to see a once-fantastic actor trade in quality projects for action schlock. I know that having Neeson (Taken 2, Unknown…yeah, a real artistic hot streak)…

Hollywood never misses a trick to squeeze extra pennies out of a (mostly) used up turnip and the latest big squeeze is the “re-release” of movies you’ve already seen before in 3D (Jurassic Park, The Lion King, Little Mermaid, etc.). And now they think they’ve stumbled onto the next big wave by re-releasing Anchorman 2’s…

Whew…well, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all…but that’s not really how reviewing works so let’s say it anyway… What Works: The idea of setting a “star crossed lovers” movie against the backdrop of Pompeii isn’t a terrible one, and I could see where a starry eyed producer would think he…

This nominee for Best Foreign Language Film of 2013 is just now getting a sizeable rollout in U.S. theaters. What Works: The premise is terrific. It revolves around the title character (a young Palestinian running with friends that could be called a very loose terrorist cell) being involved in the plot to kill an Israeli…

This movie is shockingly good. Maybe it’s saying something that the best movie in the first two months of the year is an animated film that exists solely to sell children’s toys. What Works: It’s got the best script of any of the movies I’ll review today. It’s lively and witty and just all around…

Hard to even remember anything about this movie, and it was only two weeks ago I saw it. What Works: I did like that they spent a lot of time talking about drones and militarizing police forces and other issues that are relevant. So I liked that the movie at least made an effort. What…

This movie sucked. It’s about an immortal angel/demon/Irishman/something or other played by Colin Farrell who is kept alive through miracles and love and puppies and rainbows even while the nasty demon played by Russell Crowe chases after him. What Works: There’s a thoroughly unexpected Will Smith cameo (he plays Lucifer) that temporarily jolted me out…

“An inexplicably popular movie starring Kevin Hart”–Told you I’d be using that phrase a lot. Except that the advertising (which plays up heavily Hart’s contemptuous romance with Regina Hall) is slightly misleading since this is really a romance between Michael Ealy/Joy Bryant and Hart/Hall are merely on the fringes. They’re the “best friends” but really…