After years of success bringing earthbound superheroes to the big screen, Marvel Studios opened eyes when it first endeavored to make a film out of “Guardians of the Galaxy.” If Iron Man was once considered an obscure Marvel hero, these guys were total D-league. Yet surprising to no one, the studio’s creative process has yielded […]

The story of God telling Noah to build an ark, all the animals coming aboard in twos, and then there being a great flood, has largely been deemed children’s stuff. Given the last on-screen version of this story was the Steve Carell family film “Evan Almighty,” this stigma of biblical films has held true. That […]

Four years ago you never could’ve predicted that “Planet of the Apes” would be rebooted to critical and financial acclaim, let alone become perhaps the most promising franchises born after 2010. If “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (read the review) was a consummate origin story, then “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” […]

The mystery of making a great comedy sequel has been solved. The catch? Now that it’s been done, it can never be done again.

Imagine Bill Murray’s suicide scenes from “Groundhog Day” as a futuristic science-fiction movie and you (sorta) have the groundwork for “Edge of Tomorrow.” High (yet familiar) in concept, “Tomorrow” puts a needed twist on alien invasion films, succeeding by telling a story much narrower in scope yet still big in terms of storytelling stakes.

After a foray into the blockbuster world, filmmaker Jon Favreau has settled back into his bread and butter (a bit literally), independent comedy. “Chef” is a feel-good movie that goes down easy, especially for any self-described “foodies” in the audience.

What is the distance between fame and obscurity? “20 Feet from Stardom” filmmaker Morgan Neville not only shines a spotlight on the world of backup singers, but in doing so, also uncovers the mysterious set of laws that seem to dictate fame in our world.

In a post-“Avengers” comic book movie universe, bigger is not only better, but also necessary. Leave it to original “X-Men” and “X2” director Bryan Singer to get the whole gang together (old and new) in order to bring one of the biggest “X-Men” story lines to the big screen in attention-grabbing fashion. “X-Men: Days of […]

Before now, Godzilla was a giant dino-lizard, a punchline, a D-list movie monster. Now, in Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla,” he is a god, the alpha predator, a force of nature. Warner Bros.’ has not only crafted an exhilarating “Godzilla” movie here, it has pulled an incredible P.R. move, transforming a brand last known for having Matthew […]

  As the world’s most popular superhero, Spider-Man is the poster hero for the resurgence of the superhero genre at the movies, but these days he’s hanging there by a strand of webbing. When Sony gave Peter Parker a reboot in 2012’s “The Amazing Spider-Man,” they became the first studio to recast and reimagine an entire […]

Time travel is one of the more hit-or-miss story conceits in film; it’s certain to get people’s attention, but almost as certain to expose the film to a barrage of criticism related to logic and the butterfly effect. In the hands of filmmaker Richard Curtis, however, today’s finest purveyor of charming little films (“Love, Actually,” […]

If you’ve ever wondered how cool it would be if a superhero movie was combined with an espionage thriller, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a dream come true. It’s as much “The Rogers Ultimatum” as it is an irresistibly cool blockbuster, and though a totally different film than the quality origin story of “Captain […]

Woody Allen has proved to be a filmmaker of many talents in his five-decade career, yet he continues to — every few films — push himself into new territory, and he’s done so with “Blue Jasmine.” Cate Blanchett stars as the severely troubled titular character and she and Woody prove to be a perfect match […]

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” is Wes Anderson’s most imaginative effort yet. The perpetually quirky master of symmetry expands his scope in a way not seen since “The Life Aquatic,” but this story is infinitely more accessible and entertaining.

In a time when TV is dominated by shows about morally twisted main characters you can’t help but root for, “Dallas Buyers Club” fits right in, plus it adds a layer of historical relevance and social responsibility those shows usually lack.