Category: Mindless Mondays

A sturdy, appealingly old-fashioned drama that is also a little dull in certain spots. What Works: Tom Hanks fits the material perfectly as an American insurance lawyer in over his head after getting swept up in Cold War intrigue. He has to defend a Russian master spy, and then later negotiate his exchange at a time…

“Sicario” is near-flawless in its technical aspects, and definitely worth a watch, but, at times, there are shadings of artificiality that keep it from being truly one for the ages. What Works: Almost from the very first frame, “Sicario” finds a way to pull (or drag) you into its world with sharp cinematography, an excellently dread-filled…

One of the very few films where the 3D ticket price was worth it. What Works: People going to a movie like this are really only looking for one thing: cool shots of snow-covered mountains, and suspenseful sequences. “Everest” delivers both with skill, and some solid performances from a cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes,…

Per usual, most of the other critics are wrong in their assessment of this film as they think the problem with it is that the lead character is unlikable. In fact, the movie’s attempts to sporadically soft peddle him actually diminish the film’s main theme of the pursuit of greatness. This could have been this year’s “Whiplash,”…

The headline pretty much sums it up. If you were seeking political entertainment, then you could spend two hours of your life in worse ways—there are always Republican Primary debates—but the documentary this film is based on (which I saw nearly a decade ago and never once thought “boy, I hope they remake this with…

I’ve been dormant for too long, but today brings three new reviews of movies that all center around the theme of perfection whether that’s achieved through winning a campaign, achieving a Michelin star, or revolutionizing computers. I’ll start off with the best of the bunch… What Works: “Steve Jobs” will leave people with wildly different reactions,…

Sometimes a movie slips throught the cracks on theaterical release, and sometimes they deserve to… The Seventh Son…Odds are strong that if you clicked on this article, it wasn’t to read about this film, which most people refer to as “What movie again? Haven’t heard of it.” It’s the one with Jeff Bridges teaching a…

There’s nothing scarier than creepy kid movies, except for perhaps movies where it’s a whole town of creepy kids. It seems like the natural progression to make a movie about a pandemic of creepy (zombie) kids, and it’s resulted in one of the best horror comedies in a  long while. “Cooties” is about a zombie-creating virus that…

This film has been a bit unfairly dismissed by most critics, and–if you read most of the reviews–they seem caught up more in the fact that the portrayals of rioting Southeast Asians is racist than anything actually presented on camera. As an excuse to engage in identity politics, most of the reviews work, but as…

My reviews are getting so late in the game, that getting a new one is practically the same thing as a “Gift” but I’ll try to soldier on even as most people have already seen this movie… What Works: Written, directed, and starring Joel Edgerton “The Gift” is a a very well-crafted, sharper-than-you-think creepy “friend” thriller….