Just as there are some movies I want to like more than I do, there are some I want to resist—pretty much anything Disney—that actually work really well. What Works: “The Jungle Book” is one of the best big-studio movies to come out this year and that is perhaps a back-handed compliment in this year of…
Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer
Movie Review: Criminal
A movie I wanted to like more than I did. What Works: You’ve got to admire Kevin Costner. At a time when a lot of 80’s stars have become self-parodies (Ah-nuld) or bizarre, outright disgraces (Mel “Let Me Tell You About Jews–Hey Where You Going?” Gibson), Costner still manages to star in diverse, interesting projects…
Movie Review: The Huntsman 2: Winter’s War
A sequel nobody asked for, and a waste of time for a trio of talented actresses. What Works: Jessica Chastain is the best actress alive, and this film is proof-positive of that. Sure, a lot of actresses can be great in well-written roles with top-notch directors. But how many can shine in lifeless genre junk with…
Movie Review: “Midnight Special” is One of the Best Movies This Year
I’ve been complaining for a while that movies are too beholden to the sci-fi/fantasy/comic-book tastes that seem to be overpowering films about real people. Well, “Cloverfield Lane” and especially “Midnight Special” show you can get around that problem by making a sci-fi film that would play just as well at the Toronto Film Festival as…
Movie Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane
Yeah, yeah, better late than never. And in this case, it really is since this is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year along with the equally unpredictable sci-fi film “Midnight Special” which I’ll review tomorrow. What Works: Sadly, it feels like most of the people who were going to see this already have,…
Movie Review: Batman Vs. Superman
Sadly, this movie is as bad as you’ve heard. Even though my hopes weren’t high going in, it was a heart-rending experience to have them dashed completely as I sat through one of the worst DC-Comics movies ever made. And I really, really don’t enjoy saying that. What Works: Well, uhhh…ummm…well, there’s a pretty good sequence…
Movie Review: “Eye in the Sky”
“Eye in the Sky” is the drone’s eye military thriller playing in limited release that some people may vaguely remember from advertisements that make it look about as compelling as watching people play Halo in YouTube “reviews.” I feel conflicted about this movie as there’s many things that work about it even if the overall whole is…
Book Reviews: Badlands, Vanishing Games
Two great thrillers that might be dismissed because of their genre, but should be considered for any year end best lists… Badlands by C.J. Box…It’s technically a sequel to “The Highway” but deals only a little bit with the events of that book (and it’s still-at-large deadly serial killer) and I’m not sure why it…
Movie Review: Zootopia
The best of the lot, and that may not be saying much since I didn’t like any of the other movies reviewed today, but “Zootopia” actually is really good. What Works: Yet another example that the most quality big-studio films coming out these days are actually movies that are technically “for kids.” Between the simple pleasures…
Movie Review: Allegiant
The latest in the “Divergent” series is just killing time before the conclusion, and is yet another example in Hollywood’s questionable decision to keep splitting the final part of a Young Adult trilogy into two films. It’s never been necessary—from Twilight to Hunger Games—and it’s particularly obvious it’s not here, since we’re essentially watching half…
Movie Review: Gods of Egypt
Whew…this is just not the day for quality films. What Works: Egyptian mythology is a great jumping off point for a movie. We know too little about it and that should give it the thrill of the new if done right. Sadly, this is not an example of it being “done right.” I will say that every now…
Movie Review: The Brothers Grimsby
This movie is horrible. What Works…In Name Only: The magic of Sacha Baron Cohen mostly involves tricking unsuspecting people into revealing their prejudices (Borat, Bruno), and it actually works really well. But his scripted movies? Not so much. “The Dictator” was underwhelming but still worthy of your time. However, this spy comedy is nearly unwatchable. Most…
Movie Review: Whisky Tango Foxtrot
A movie I wanted to like more than I did, but still a really noble effort in a time when anything marketed “War Comedy” is likely to be an instant skip-it from a major studio. While other reviewers have chosen to pull out a magnifying glass and scrutinize the film’s every politically incorrect sin, I…