This is the rare movie I wish I had seen in 3D. [I’m told it has some of the best 3D since Avatar.] And even in two dimensions, Ang Lee’s latest wildcard is visually stunning. The problem I have is that the look of the movie wowed me but it kept me at arm’s length…
Category: Mindless Mondays
Movie Review: Red Dawn
For those that don’t know, this is a remake of the 80’s Charlie Sheen/Patrick Swayze macho-fest where the Russians take over a small town in Colorado, and a ragtag group of misfits (is there any other kind?) fight an insurgency campaign against them. Now, this is a really interesting idea for a movie and it might…
Movie Review: Twilight Saga: Thank God It’s Over
Twilight, Breaking Dawn: Part II (you know a franchise has gone on too long when you have to classify its sequels into subsections) will be the most divisive movie of the year. Barack vs. Romney, who cares? “Does Twilight suck or is it, like, the best ever?” That’s the real blood sport taking place across…
Movie Review: Skyfall
Skyfall——for the 12 people on Earth that don’t know——is the latest James Bond movie, although, since people don’t seem to remember the titles of these movies, maybe it should just be called “James Bond, 2012 episode.” Skyfall is a really curious case of a movie that works yet doesn’t astound. It has so many great…
Entertainment Editorial: October’s Book of the Month Club Pick Is…Every Day!
Okay, so this October book of the month club pick is royally messed up by Hurricane Sandy. See, the last Monday of the month (my preferred time to list the book of the month) was thwarted by not having a working internet connection. My apologies to readers but maybe I can claim it as an “Act of…
Movie Review: “The Sessions,” A Small Movie with a Big Pay-Off
The Sessions is an independent film many won’t get the chance to see, but they should seek it out if it’s playing in a smaller theater they might not ordinarily go to. It’s the real-life story of a paralyzed, Polio-afflicted poet (John Hawkes, so different here than as the ambiguously menacing uncle in Winter’s Bone,…
Movie Review: The Man with the Iron Fists
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…
Movie Review: “Flight” a Movie that Should Have Been Better
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,…
Mom Joke: Will the Senator Choose Heaven or Hell?
A recently-deceased senator’s soul was outside the pearly gates of heaven. A representative from Saint Peter’s office came out to greet him and explain his decision. “You will be given one day in hell and one day in heaven. You will see which one you like better, and then make your choice.” The senator said…
Entertainment Editorial: What’s the Best Political Campaign Movie? I Say “Bob Roberts”
On the eve of the election (but it’s still a monday, where I’m supposed to talk about entertainment), it might be a great time to unwind with a movie about a political campaign. So the question persists: what’s the best one? That’s a tough question, since the majority of political movies are about campaigns. [There’s…
Movie Review: “Cloud Atlas,” The Flop You NEED To See
[Note: I wanted to originally run this review last Monday, but Hurricane Sandy cut my internet right before I could write it.] So Cloud Atlas opened and died in theaters last weekend, and has gone nowhere but down in the box office ever since (it might finish with a 25 million total take, despite costing…
Movie Review: Wreck-it-Ralph
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…
Movie Review: 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…