It came down to the wire, but “Takers” nosed “The Last Exorcism” this weekend by a couple hundred thousand dollars. Both films were able to take advantage of the slow “can it please just be fall already” weekend, with “Takers” surprising the most, at least in my estimation.

If autumn has a favorite genre, it’s horror. Blockbuster action flicks have cooled down post-summer, dramas are a bit too far from Oscar-recognition time and comedies are spotty at best. Yet September/October is the time of year horror movies call home. At least one if not two horror films have great success at this time […]

Summer finally closes out on an unexciting note. There’s a low-budget-style horror film in “The Last Exorcism,” a heist-centered action film in “Takers” and the release of that little film from last winter called “Avatar.”

Our fall preview begins with the dramas. The fall is a peculiar time for drama. Most major/buzzworthy dramas debut at festivals in the fall and get released to the general public during the holiday season, but many Oscar gems have come from October and early November. And then there are the stinkers. Not every film […]

As the summer comes to a close, it’s reflection time. On the eve of my plunging into five days or so of Fall Preview 2010, which will bring you all you need to know about movies between now and the weekend before Thanksgiving, it’s only fitting to bid adieu to the summer, perhaps the most […]

It’s always exciting to keep tabs on an Oscar-winning director’s follow-up film. For “Slumdog Millionaire” helmer Danny Boyle, that film is “127 Hours,” based on the true story of Aron Ralston, who got his arm stuck under a boulder while out hiking the Moab in Utah and … well the title says the rest.

Two-titles with two syllables are not this week’s theme. This Trailer Wednesday focuses on two films of the thriller genre, Darren Aronofsky’s (“Requiem for a Dream,” “The Wrestler”) latest film about rival ballet dancers and a film based on the true story of outed CIA agent Valerie Plame from Doug Liman, director of “The Bourne […]

You can’t always count on a summer to deliver the best blockbusters; that was the case with Summer 2010. You can, however, usually count on a small crop of actors to offer performances that will either put them on the map or jettison them into the big-time. Last year, I gave you a list that […]

“Chocolat” sounds like a gooey foreign love story, but it’s actually a fable with classic story archetypes and a hint of magic, all of which finishes pleasantly with a tender morsel — err, moral. It’s about as sophisticated as chocolate, which is not very sophisticated, so “Chocolat” is as easily digested as it is open […]

Technically speaking, the five new films that came out this weekend were the expendable ones. “The Expendables” stayed on top for a second straight week with about $16 million while those films finished second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth.

Family drama can be cliché, but not when that family consists of a teenage brother and sister and their two moms. Hollywood’s family dramas have yet to break out of the traditional family structure for obvious albeit not necessarily defensible reasons, but independent film promoter Focus Features has found a gem of one in Lisa […]

And so we’ve reached the summer dumping ground. With schools getting started either earlier this past week or next week, most of the films coming out these next couple weeks will not be particularly worthwhile — for most people.

Last Tuesday, — so exactly a week ago — Movie Muse turned one year old! Although moviemusereviews.com still has a few more months to go, I still thought it fit to reflect on my first year of movie blogging. As amateur as the word “blogging” has sounded to the human ear since the term’s inception, […]

“Brothers” boasts great dramatic prowess and a trio of talented actors in their prime. The only thing missing is originality. The family drama caused by a father leaving his wife and kids as he’s deployed to Afghanistan coupled with the terrors of post-traumatic stress disorder are – – as insensitive as it feels to say […]

If Hollywood had a more stringent steroid policy like Major League Baseball, then you’d have to put a fat asterisk by the near-$35 million take of “The Expendables.” The action film easily finished ahead of the rest of the pack. Chick flick “Eat Pray Love” starring Julia Roberts did rather well for second and final […]