Director Ruben Fleischer should call the “making of” documentary of this film “86 Minutes or Less.” The filmmaker who landed squarely on the Hollywood directing hot list with 2009’s rollicking sleeper hit “Zombieland” has crammed the action and laughs into another unusually short runtime. Distinct advantages exist to the “all business”  attitude toward filmmaking, but […]

The one thing that always made the “Planet of the Apes” a bit campy was actors in make up and monkey suits. So in one instance, here’s where technology, specifically the use motion-capture technology as seen in “Avatar,” can almost single-handedly justify revisiting an old franchise. But the apes of “Rise of the Planet of […]

As far as superheroes go, they don’t get much campier than the “Star-Spangled Man.” A super soldier dressed in red, white and blue who bashes in Nazi skulls with his all-American shield? Undoubtedly, Captain America served a very specific purpose when he debuted in 1940, but 70 years later, Marvel Studio has found a way […]

Festering somewhere in the chaos of “Sucker Punch” is an exotic narrative twisted into an epic adventure waiting to be born. But Zack Snyder has pulled his bun out of the oven way before he’s given it time to rise. A multi-layered rock fantasy that could find a permanent home on MTV2, Snyder’s premature brainchild […]

I called “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” a 2.5-hour exhibition of a hurricane in a hardware store. There should have been nothing exciting, therefore, about the prospect of a second 2.5-hour exhibition — this time of hunks of scrap metal perpetually raining over Chicago — filmed entirely in 3D. Yet with the added assurance of […]

A small but existent segment of the American population believes that any and all combinations of cars, guns and naked women make for the perfect care-free cinematic cocktail. But like any cocktail, there’s a perfect blend required, not simply throwing them in a blend-er. Behold the difference between the “Fast and Furious” franchise and “Drive […]

Superhero movies have been thriving in both Hollywood and public consciousness for almost 10 years now, and one of the biggest reasons has been the origin story. “Spider-Man” in 2002 revealed how the emotional power of a superhero’s motivation can humanize even those characters with the most extraordinary powers. “X-Men: First Class” provides this oh […]

If Chloe Moretz’s Hit Girl from “Kick-Ass” were a slightly more real person, I suppose she’d be Hanna. Saoirse Ronan might not utter the C-word, but her character provides the same level of entertainment plus a bit more, well, depth. Either way, the trend of ass-kicking children continues in Joe Wright’s latest film, which succeeds […]

The grittier and slightly more realistic alien invasion film “Battle: Los Angeles” poses and addresses the intriguing question of how the military would respond in the event of a full-on attack at the hands of an unknown enemy. The answer? Clichés; tons of them. Round up the troops, grab whatever clichés you can find so we […]

Few films can brag that they were adapted from a fake grindhouse movie trailer, which is exactly what makes “Machete” special. Few filmmakers can pull off an exploitation flick quite like Robert Rodriguez and although “Machete” will never be a cult classic, Rodriguez is to thank for helping popularize this often laughed-at sub-genre. There are […]

The latest modern film to play swords-and-sandals dress-up is “The Eagle,” starring Channing “Pretty Boy” Tatum, a name I bestowed upon him having played “Pretty Boy” Floyd in Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” back in 2008, albeit a part of no significance. I suppose when they coined the term “hunk,” no one expected it to apply […]

Ever since 2002, Hollywood has had a case of mistaken “Bourne Identity,” pulling the trigger on any script that weaves government Intelligence with guns and combat and centers on a protagonist who doesn’t know his or her own strength. “Salt” is another byproduct of the “Bourne” era, yet barely executes half as well as that […]

When Seth Rogen got his paws on rights to turn the masked crimefighter radio and TV series “The Green Hornet” into a movie, we figured to have it pegged. Rogen would deliver an action comedy “Green Hornet” universe stuffed with his brand of immature moron humor. The only question was whether that combination would work […]

There are very few movies out there that will amp you up like “The Expendables.” Maybe not so much for the ladies, but Sylvester Stallone’s battle royal of action stars and other renowned muscle men from the last three decades will convince almost every man that lifting weights, eating a steak and potatoes dinner and […]

No genre has defined 2010 like the group-centric comedy-infused action flick that pits betrayed special agents/soldiers against “the man.” So the only chance “RED” had at standing out was to rise above the formula at the hands of an acting core whose mean age would qualify for a senior discount to see said film. In […]