Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer

There will be some more current reviews later today, but I had put off reviewing this lackluster comedy for weeks and decided to dive into it now… What Works: I wish I could say the idea of an end-of-the-world comedy is inspired but this is the fourth end-of-the-world comedy in only the summer (It’s a Disaster, Rapture-palooza, and the…

Two expose-centered documentaries dealing with our increasingly-secretive government, and both of them currently available (but not for long) on Video-On-Demand after getting limited theaterical releases during the early summer. They don’t cover exactly the same topic, but it’s close enough to make me wonder…”Which should you spend your money on?”   Dirty Wars…What It’s About:…

An excellent indie now getting a nation-wide theatrical release, and it couldn’t have happened to a better underdog-film. What Works: This is the story of a high school senior (Miles Teller) who is the life of the party, and always in the moment. That’s mostly because he’s always drinking. There are few moments of the…

A movie I wanted to like more than I did, and yet I will absolutely recommend this movie. In a world where a smart, adult thriller can gross a pitiful 3 million dollars on opening weekend and it can’t even get a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, somebody has to be a champion for the underdogs. What…

One of the worst movies I’ve seen this year. I kept rubbing my eyes together, wondering if what I was seeing was really as crumby as I thought. If a movie about a race car driver (Ethan Hawke…not exactly on creative fire after this and The Purge) forced to complete a series of mysterious tasks…

For months before this film was released there was crazy-good buzz coming off of it. Entertainment Weekly repeatedly wrote articles saying “Here comes your next horror obsession” or “Is ‘You’re Next’ the Next Big Horror Hit?” Well, the film opened well below expectations last weekend and there was exactly one other person in the theater…

The review you’ve been waiting with baited breath for. [eye roll] Don’t worry, I’ve got much more current films scheduled all throughout the day, so keep checking back. What Works: The acting is bad, the pacing is worse, the direction is shoddy, and the dialogue is terrible. So what makes Percy Jackson any good? I…

This micro-indie (currently playing on only 17 screens across the nation) is one of those quiet stunners that sneaks up on you. It’s about a successful, “assimilated” Palestinian surgeon working in an Israeli hospital in Tel Aviv. He’s one of the few Palestinians who have successfully integrated into the Israeli elite and he’s seen getting…

This film received no love at the box office this weekend, the reviews were terrible, the audience grade wasn’t great, and even co-star Jim Carrey (desperately in need of a hit) wouldn’t promote it out of some misguided thinking about the Newton shootings and Kick Ass’s violence. What gives? Is the movie really that bad?…

If you already know the story of Steve Jobs, this movie probably won’t provide you with much fresh insight, but it’s still worth a watch. Although it must be said that it never even comes close to the heights of the other film about a prickly tech titan: The Social Network. What Works: Steve Jobs was a…

A movie that feels slightly all-over-the-place but sneaks up on you to create a sum total far greater than its parts. What Works: The story of Cecil Gaines, a black butler who started out on a horrific cotton farm in the South but became a White House butler for seven different presidents, is just original…

A limp, uninspired comedy that wants so badly to be “outrageous” but grows progressively lamer and tamer the more it keeps going. What Works: [crickets]…uhhh…well, if you’ve ever wondered what Jennifer Aniston might look like in a platinum stripper wig and black spandex, the first ten minutes will be decent for you to watch. Still,…

A direct and blatant rip-off of Pixar’s Cars except now with planes (and a few cars for good measure). Similar to Turbo in that only hardcore animation fans or families that desperately want something to do with their kids will really find value in it. What Works: The idea of a race around the world…