Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 31,2013

A more mellow Arnold in Stand

What’s one to make of the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the best thing in his comeback film The Last Stand? Well, that the actor has learned a few things while being away for eight years an

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 24,2013

Squad a pretender in the gangster genre

By Chuck Koplinski

While director Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad lets us know that it’s “inspired by a true story,” it becomes clear early on that it’s much more interested in the artific

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 24,2013

Linings Cooper, Lawrence shine

By Chuck Koplinski

Pat Jr. (Bradley Cooper) has a lot on his mind. His mother Delores (Jacki Weaver) has just sprung him from a mental institution after an eight-month stay. Seems, at home he had walked in on his wife N

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 17,2013

Acts of kindness buoy a harrowing Impossible

By Chuck Koplinski

Director Juan Antonio Bayona puts us through the wringer with The Impossible, a harrowing film recounting one family’s improbable survival of the 2004 tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean.

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 10,2013

Zero’s cold, efficient look at hunt for bin Laden

By Chuck Koplinski

Very rarely is a film able to capture current events in the way Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty does. Chronicling the United States’ efforts to capture Osama bin Laden, the project was

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 3,2013

The 10 best films of 2012

When too many play it safe, honesty is the best policy.

By Chuck Koplinski

The year 2012 was much like many others in recent memory on the United States film scene. The summer was dominated by superhero extravaganzas. (The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises were the year&rsq

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 3,2013

The best movie scenes of 2012

By Chuck Koplinski

Movies are about moments. There are big moments that erase our cynicism about the art form and remind us of its capacity to dazzle. There are quiet moments that succeed in touching our hearts in a way

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, January 3,2013

Land doesn’t fulfill promise

By Chuck Koplinski

While there’s never any doubt that Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land was made with the best of intentions, something goes slightly awry in the execution of this environmental awareness movie. W

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, December 27,2012

Cruise at home in Reacher

By Chuck Koplinski

In light of recent events, it’s rather difficult watching the opening of Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher as a sniper picks off five innocent victims from a distance. I wouldn’t say the sce

Film - Chuck Koplinski | Thursday, December 20,2012

Four new holiday films

By Chuck Koplinski

Epic vision of The Hobbit hobbled by tepid paceDirector Peter Jackson returns to take care of unfinished business with his adaptation of The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel to the filmmaker&rsq