Category: Mindless Mondays

I’m not a part of the Wes Anderson cult but when he’s really good (like in his masterpiece “Rushmore” or “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”) you can see why somebody would be. Well, after some so-so live action outings like The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson is back in top form with The Grand Budapest…

A so-so animated film that is wildly popular at the box office for reasons that aren’t yet clear… What Works: The best part of the film is actually the three minute cartoon that plays in front of it. As for the movie, it’s a small miracle that such dated source material is able to be…

You can’t say I’m not loyal to a theme since even this movie is based off a video game, and apparently only that game’s users had any interest in seeing it this weekend. Sure, it’s a dumb movie, but maybe not the worst way you could spend two hours and fifteen minutes in a theater…

Continuing with our theme of “films for fanboys/girls only that may be unsatisfying for the uninitiated” (that phrase could be used to help kids get over their stutter) is this sequel to 300. What Works: I had a hard time with this movie mostly because I never held the original “300” to the high esteem…

Just like with “The Wind Rises” this is a film that die-hard fans will enjoy much more than the uninitiated. Unlike “The Wind Rises,” this movie is the very first wide release to be “crowd-funded” (through Kickstarter) meaning that I really hope die-hard fans enjoy it since they’re essentially paying for the same movie twice,…

Fans of legendary anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki need no introduction to this film (also revealed to be his last), but not so sure it’ll really captivate anyone else. I would label it “for fans only” and not necessarily the best film to win over converts. What Works: This is probably the hardest film to grade…

Liam Neeson can do wrong at the box office right now, but I’m not so sure this is the best creative period of his career, and it’s a little disheartening to see a once-fantastic actor trade in quality projects for action schlock. I know that having Neeson (Taken 2, Unknown…yeah, a real artistic hot streak)…

Hollywood never misses a trick to squeeze extra pennies out of a (mostly) used up turnip and the latest big squeeze is the “re-release” of movies you’ve already seen before in 3D (Jurassic Park, The Lion King, Little Mermaid, etc.). And now they think they’ve stumbled onto the next big wave by re-releasing Anchorman 2’s…

Whew…well, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all…but that’s not really how reviewing works so let’s say it anyway… What Works: The idea of setting a “star crossed lovers” movie against the backdrop of Pompeii isn’t a terrible one, and I could see where a starry eyed producer would think he…

This nominee for Best Foreign Language Film of 2013 is just now getting a sizeable rollout in U.S. theaters. What Works: The premise is terrific. It revolves around the title character (a young Palestinian running with friends that could be called a very loose terrorist cell) being involved in the plot to kill an Israeli…

This movie is shockingly good. Maybe it’s saying something that the best movie in the first two months of the year is an animated film that exists solely to sell children’s toys. What Works: It’s got the best script of any of the movies I’ll review today. It’s lively and witty and just all around…