As demonstrated by his ability to earn acclaim in everything from zombie films (“28 Days Later”) to foreign coming-of-age love stories (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Danny Boyle has an extraordinary gift as a filmmaker and in “127 Hours,” he channels it into an extraordinary story of human willpower. This could have easily been a compelling but plain […]

A quick older review in honor of the late great Leslie Nielsen. What started in 1977 with “Kentucky Fried Movie” continues again in “The Naked Gun,” a film version of the cop drama-mocking TV series “Police Squad!” only this time detective/cop films are the culprit, seemingly perfect fodder for spoofing and the Zucker, Abrahams and […]

In a surprisingly close box-office race this weekend, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1,” in its second week, fended off Disney’s latest animated hit, “Tangled.” Although the five-day Thanksgiving totals were not as close (“Harry” won by a good $6 million), the three-day total put “Harry” ahead by fewer than $400,000.

Dramatic actor-turned-deadpan comedian Leslie Nielsen, 84, best known for appearing in the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedies “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” passed away Sunday from complications resulting from pneumonia.

Watching “How to Train Your Dragon” on DVD, I had my first (and what could well be my last) case of 3-D regret. Watching the young viking Hiccup soaring on the back of his new pal Toothless the dragon made me seriously wish I’d seen the film in theaters and yes, in 3D, a medium […]

You might have seen some of these films attached to new movies these past couple of weeks. With the increased business movie theaters get this time of year, more new trailers are popping up every day. I’ve selected a few of the highlights/films most buzzed about.

“Four Weddings and a Funeral” had some pretty amazing competition for Best Picture at the 1995 Academy Awards: Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and the winner, “Forrest Gump.” To say the least, this little British comedy was way out of its league. As unorthodox and interesting of a romantic […]

Love stories are essentially the same — it’s a matter of how you dress them up. Many will see through “Love and Other Drugs” and count the romance clichés and formulaic characters, others will find the 1996 setting and the pharmaceutical angle refreshing. Both forces are hard at work in this film, but the tipping […]

Who wants to duel with “Harry Potter” this Thanksgiving weekend? Step right up! Four films will give it a try, each is fairly unique, but none appear to have enough muscle to shake up the box office, which will surely be Potter’s to lose.

Although I firmly believe Hollywood can never say never, it appears that Disney, at the moment, has no interest in continuing its revitalized push for big-screen fairy tales. Ed Catmull of Pixar — who along with John Lasseter oversees the Disney house-brand animated films — told the LA Times: “Films and genres do run a […]

There’s a reason that movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches are looked at as the bottom of the barrel, and therefore a reason why “The Ladies Man” starring Tim Meadows back in 2000 was the last attempt. With the show regaining a bit of momentum, Universal gave it another go with “MacGruber.” For the […]

Landing at No. 6 on the all-time opening weekends list, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1” earned the biggest first-weekend take for a “Potter” film yet. Clearly, fans of all degrees were interested in checking out the beginning of the final chapter of the beloved film franchise. That’s the power of the ending […]

My how time flies. Not only have we watched three young actors and their respective characters grow up over the course of 10 years before our very eyes, but also the tonal shift from light to dark in the “Harry Potter” movies has been unusually drastic. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1” is […]

Call him “Honest Day-Lewis.” Steven Spielberg’s previously shelved “Lincoln” biopic, originally with Liam Neeson attached to play the 16th president, has resurfaced with two-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis officially on board as Abraham Lincoln.

Can you hear those sleigh bells? Almost. We arrive at that historical weekend every year when that huge blockbuster sequel (either a “Potter” film as we have this weekend, a “Twilight” film as we had the last two years, an animated film or a “Bond” film as we’ve had in the past) comes to town. […]