Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer

This turd somehow became a surprise mini-hit this weekend, taking in almost as much as its tiny budget, and beating out Expendables 3 at the box office…hmmm, a Let’s Be Cops vs. Expendables 3 battle, talk about the land where dwarfs cast tall shadows. What Works: The idea of Jake Johnson (the poor man’s Oscar…

If “Snowpiercer” is talked about by cult fans for years to come, then I can imagine “Boyhood” being talked about by film scholars for decades to come. The film springs from a deceptively simple “gimmick” of following the same cast for 12 years (director Richard Linklater worked on the cheap, and shot a couple scenes…

It’s almost out of theaters now, but you can watch it on-demand. I still think it’s best viewed in a theater if you can find one. Regardless, something tells me this film will become a cult classic, and indie theaters might play the occasional screening every now and then. The Plot: In the near-future, the…

A difficult film to review since I’m a big fan of the John Le Carre spy novel its based on. Like most of Le Carre’s work, it’s not really a spy thriller (the action usually comes only at the very end), and works more as literary fiction than Jason Bourne. The plot is about a…

I can remember having a good time with this film while I was in the theater, but can’t remember much about it even a few days later. Much like the drug Lucy takes, the early high doesn’t last long… What Works: Luc Besson hasn’t made many good movies over the course of his long career,…

Zac Braff’s follow-up to Garden State may have received slight bias before anyone even saw it, as this is the movie where Braff raised 2 million on Kick Starter to make it…even though I’m sure he has that much money left over from the Scrubs days, and really should have used his own bank account….

That convoluted title might be a mouthful, but this sequel of a remake defies expectations by not being terrible. It seems that someone may have finally figured out that apes-vs.-human battles is what people go to a Planet of the Apes-film to watch. What Works: Andy Serkis is incredible as lead ape Caesar, inarguably the…

Just because a film is a lot better than the first one doesn’t necessarily make it worth watching. That’s the dilemma I have with whether or not to recommend The Purge 2. Hmmm…decisions, decisions… What Works: The first movie was one of the bottom ten-percent of last year’s list, a faux-political horror film that wanted…

A soft musical that might have you leaving the theater in a good mood, but doesn’t stay with you long afterwards. It’s about a frayed record label executive who’s watched his indie boutique turn corporate (Mark Ruffalo) and thinks Keira Knightley’s fresh voice will be his way back to…the middle? Along the way, we learn…

Just because an animated movie is aimed squarely at kids, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t try. All of the best Disney and Pixar films know that, but the “Planes” franchise doesn’t seem to. This dated and half-assed sequel is even less inspired than the original, and you can’t help but feel it’s all a cynical cash-register…

By now, there’s no point kicking this bomb—-which pretty much everyone in the country has already been forewarned about—-and the only thing I can tell you is to keep checking back today for reviews of more recent movies. What Works: Not much…Susan Sarandon adds an occasional dollop of flash as Tammy’s grandmother, Mark Duplass gives his…

Otherwise known as the “abortion comedy” but that’s not really accurate. Yes, the main character—-a female comic played by Jenny Slate in a breakout performance—-does become accidentally pregnant, but that’s only one of the many subplots and winning things about this film. It’s more a gentle comedy about stumbling towards adulthood as it is an…

Real quick: Is it as good as the first one? No. Is it still at least pretty good? Yes. What Works: The first one felt more like a contemporary classic, and altogether more coherent with really clean scenes that work no matter how many times you see them. This one is a bit more scattershot,…