Film

Shrek sequel isn’t equal to orginal Witty and innovative, Shrek put the DreamWorks animation division on the map in 2001. The film’s breezy pace, lively voice characterizations by A-list movie stars, and clever script spelled box-office success. Producing a sequel was a no-brainer. Shrek 2 has a tough act to follow, and — no surprise […]

Homer lite: How Troy was lost in less than three hours You don’t need to brush up on your Homer to get through Troy: Director Wolfgang Petersen and screenwriter David Benioff set the stage quickly in the film’s first half hour. For those who dozed off during history class, Agamemnon (Brian Cox) has united all […]

Monstrous monster movie deserver an angry mob Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) wants to hatch his unborn progeny. He thinks that Wolfman’s blood and Frankenstein’s constitution are key to his plan. Enter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman), a secret agent for the Vatican and emissary charged with killing evildoers. Along with his trusty sidekick, Carl (David Wenham), […]

Some people who work in film are actors, and some are stars. Denzel Washington is undeniably both. The TV drama St. Elsewhere first brought him attention, but his supporting role as antiapartheid martyr Steve Biko in Cry Freedom proved that he belonged on the big screen. Throughout his impressive career he has shifted effortlessly from […]

The mating call of lawyers in love Laws of Attraction proves a totally disarming and charming comedy, thanks in large part to genuine chemistry between its two stars, aging sex symbol Pierce Brosnan and classic beauty Julianne Moore. Playing the roles of two successful New York divorce lawyers, Brosnan and Moore provide the sparks necessary […]

13 imitates Big but comes up short The body-switch premise was done to perfection in Penny Marshall’s Big when young David Moscow turned into Tom Hanks. Even in an adult’s body, the character of Josh looked at the world with a 13-year-old’s sense of wonderment and innocence. Hanks’ performance and Marshall’s deft direction turned this […]

Familiar love story features drag queens, hit men, and show tunes So what do you do for an encore after you’ve written and starred in the second most successful independent film ever made? Why, you shamelessly remake a Hollywood classic and hope no one notices! That’s what Nia Vardolas appears to be doing with Connie […]

Girl rise above the typical teen flick Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) has done well in high school and hopes to enter a prestigious university. Asked what he’ll remember about school, Matthew realizes that he’s done nothing but hit the books. Everything changes when a freewheeling heartbreaker moves in next door. Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), in town […]

As usual, there’s not much of great interest in the local cinemas at this time of the year, so it’s a good time to visit the video store. Here are some odds and ends I found recently: • All the Real Girls (2003). David Gordon Green may be the least-known great new American director. Given […]

A familiar story, told with charm Martha Coolidge’s The Prince & Me tells the story of an oh-so-common occurrence among college-aged girls: They go off to school, meet the man of their dreams, and he turns out to be the prince of a European nation. At least, that’s how it happens in the movies. Paige […]

Hanks shines in Coens’ remake of The Ladykillers While it doesn’t reach the heights of inspired lunacy of their classic Raising Arizona, the Coen Brothers’ remake of The Ladykillers delivers plenty of chuckles, albeit of the darkest variety. The film takes some time to hit its stride, but ultimately delivers a wonderfully comic and morally […]

Take this movie. Away. Please. Having to sit through the new thriller Taking Lives made me want to take my own. A convoluted mish-mash, this latest entry in the overcrowded “serial killer on the loose” genre is crippled by countless clichés, a bevy of bad performances, and a script that relies on coincidence far too […]