Category: Monday Morning Movie Reviewer

This movie isn’t unwatchable, but it is lazy, uninspired, poorly plotted, and——in the end——more than a little bit boring. It’s more of an attitude than a real movie. What Works: Russell Crowe is clearly having a good time (and, unlike the other actors, it doesn’t look fake) as an ambiguous sword fighter whose true allegiances…

Flight is the perfect example of a movie that has everything going for it: The rare great actor who’s also a movie star (Denzel Washington). A director who’s been around forever (Robert Zemeckis). An ace supporting cast filled with talented character actors (John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, Bruce Greenwood) and sexy women (Garcelle Beauvais,…

Of any of the “family films” in theaters for Thanksgiving, this is the strongest. I think almost anyone could watch this movie and have a good time, and I was consistently impressed with the unique world Ralph sets up. What Works: This movie could have just been an excuse to rehash old nostalgia (like Hotel Transylvania…

I know, I know…I’ve been “off” for a week and this is what I come back with on the eve of the election? Well, 1. I wasn’t off by choice, just that Hurricane Sandy severely messed with New York’s internet for a week. I hate that I missed a lot of potentially great articles (and…

Another microscopic indie this time, about a pair of high school virgins who form a connection one night, and contemplate, you guessed it, “the first time.” What makes this film unique is that it’s not just a raunchy sex comedy, but tries to form an honest conversation between the two leads. It feels realistic enough,…

Middle of Nowhere is an ultra-independent film not many will get a chance to see in theaters but should check out when it’s released On Demand/Red Box/Netflix. It’s the kind of small movie that can leave a big impact just by exploring one character very, very well. What Works: The film is about a black…

This is a perfect example of why you can’t judge a movie by its first ten minutes. Because when I started this film (about, you guessed it, seven psychopaths hanging out in Los Angeles, sometimes killing one another) I really loved the opening moments and general setup. But then, as it kept going, it was…

Smashed is an independent film starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who always seems right on the cusp of stardom) and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul (once again playing a likable, vulnerable addict) as a married couple of alcoholics. The movie is advertised as a story of what happens to them as a couple when Winstead decided to…

As a critic, there are just certain movies you look more forward to than others. I can’t say I go into Alex Cross, with the same level of enthusiasm I go into Cloud Atlas with, but that can actually work for a low-expectations movie. If the bar is set low, they can easily jump over…

Okay, so this movie opened a few weeks back and nobody really cared about it then (it was something of a flop on opening weekend) so I’ll just keep this review nice and trim. Don’t worry though, I have plenty of other reviews coming up later in the day… What Works: This movie (about Kevin…

What better low-key indie to review today (the night of the final presidential debate, which I will be writing about during and after it) than Butter, a movie that technically is about the obscure-passion of Iowa butter carving, but is really an allegory about Sarah Palin vs. Obama, and the clash of values between religious…

Okay, so this movie is a microscopic indie that pretty much bombed out in theaters a couple weeks back. [It opened very limited and still had a lousy per-theater average which is all that matters for indies.] And yet…I saw it when it opened and feel compelled to at least throw out a review. What…

I want to start by saying that this film is very good. I want to start by saying that because the majority of the review will consist of how it isn’t great and may be a slight disappointment if (like me) you loved Ben Affleck’s last two movies: Gone Baby Gone and The Town. What Works: The…