Sometimes all it takes to make a movie is a good story with a director and a cast capable of seeing it for what it is. “The Blind Side” is an excellent example of why our interest continues to peak at the tagline “based on a true story” in movie trailers. You get the sense […]
Archives
Winter Movie Preview: First 5 No-Nos of the New Year
Winter is a season where bad movies are like landmines. These are all the movies every year that the studios lost confidence in so they release them during months when the box office historically does so-so and cross the fingers on making money back through a surprise hit. The only exception is usually Valentine’s Day […]
Weekend Recap: Avatar and Cameron are Bajillionaires
Well, the film of the new decade at the box office might end up not having even been made in this decade. Avatar has done what everyone figured possible but no one actually stated outright: pass the $1 Billion mark at the worldwide box office. And in 17 days. The only thing more impressive is […]
Winter Movie Preview: 10 Films to Start Off ’10, Pt. 1
Winter is upon us! The first films of 2010 will vie to become the surprise first hits of the year. Last year, these films were Liam Neeson in Taken and sadly, Paul Blart: Mall Cop. As I mentioned during my Holiday Movie Preview, there’s a difference between Holiday and Winter – in my world. Any […]
“Grandma’s Boy” (2006) – 1/5 Stars
Call me old fashioned, but I like movies with plots. I thought “stoner comedy” was just a way to more specifically describe a comedy in which lots of weed is smoked and the people watching it are more apt to enjoy it high. “Grandma’s Boy,” however, has decided this is a full-blown niche and that […]
“My Left Foot” (1989) – 4/5 Stars
There aren’t many overcoming-the-odds stories quite like that of Christy Brown. Born with cerebral palsy in 1930s Dublin, his parents thought his handicap was mental as well as physical. Though eventually properly diagnosed, Brown, in a lower working-class family with nearly 20 children, had to push himself just to be appreciated by his family. Through […]
Weekend Preview (1.1.10)
Films are taking a breather this New Year’s Day, although you can bet theaters will be busy considering how well Avatar, Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel did on Christmas. I myself will probably find something I didn’t see just because I won’t have much else going on this weekend. Nevertheless, I […]
Best of 2009: The Year in Review
As I’ve alluded to the last couple of days, 2009, in my opinion, was a year for great genre films, not necessarily straightforward dramas. For instance, this time of year I’d normally be busy planning how I was going to get to see all the major Oscar contenders in the next month. This year, my […]
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Review
The first thing that stands out about “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” is that it’s not gun- shy about its moral storytelling. From the get-go, legendary director John Huston, who wrote the script and directed based on a novel by B. Traven, feeds us foreshadowing about the perils of money and seeking great fortune. […]
The Top 10 Films of 2009
I didn’t see everything 2009 had to offer, but I feel pretty good about this list of the ten best films of 2009. I think most people, at least of my age demographic of 18 – 28, will agree. I gave a lot of films 4.5/5 stars this year, which I was pretty surprised at […]
On DVD: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
There comes a point in the repetitive nature of films where the phrase “run-of-the-mill” just won’t do. In the case of the remake of the train hijack/ransom heist thriller “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” the mill has been running so much that maybe the more adequate phrase should be the past tense “ran.” […]
Best of 2009: The Genre Awards
Call me behind the curve, but I think now is the appropriate time (the last film release of 2009 was Friday) to take a look back at the last year of this pretty remarkable decade in film (more on the decade later). To start off my Year in Review, I present the Genre Awards – […]
Weekend Recap: “Avatar” leads way for biggest movie weekend ever
Did I say disappointing December? Well, it seemed everyone was just waiting until Christmas. The Box Office jumped up over 100 percent this past weekend for the highest grossing weekend of all time. To let you know how incredible this weekend was: my prediction for the box office winner, Sherlock Holmes, broke the record for […]
“Sunshine Cleaning” (2008) – 3.5/5 Stars
Does the independent drama have a formula? “Sunshine Cleaning” is a touching family/relationship drama with a great cast, but there’s also something incredibly familiar about it. For instance, there’s Amy Adams as Rose, a former high school cheerleader now a single mom without a steady paycheck having an affair with a married man (Steve Zahn). […]
Review: Sherlock Holmes
The grandfather of the mystery genre — and film’s most adapted character — is none other than the great detective Sherlock Holmes, so if one were to apply Holmes’ own deductive reasoning skills, a modern reinvention was a matter of time. English Director Guy Ritchie (“Snatch,” “RocknRolla”) applies his witty and gritty crime thriller style […]
