Kate Upton, Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann in The Other Woman. Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox I understand the appeal of films like The Other Woman. They are to women what action flicks are to men – overwrought fantasies meant to provide a cathartic release for the audience. Then again they might exist as a […]
Movies
Posted inArts & Culture
Transcendence wastes its vast potential
Some films go out of their way to have their plots act as a metaphor for the action on screen. Case in point, the recent horror film Oculus, about an evil spirit that lives in a mirror, sports a story that puts together scenes from the past and present in such a way that they […]
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Pace undercuts Heaven
Greg Kinnear and Connor Corum in Heaven is for Real. “Pillar of the community” and “salt of the earth” are the kinds of things you’d use to describe Todd Burpo. He belongs to his town’s volunteer fire department, is a loving father and faithful husband and has no problem practicing what he preaches, which is […]
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Oculus a clever exercise in low-budget horror
Following the maxim, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Blumhouse Productions continues to adhere to the formula that’s made it one of the fastest growing, small production arms in Hollywood. Sticking to budgets of $5 million or less, offering profit participation to lure the occasional name actor and aggressively promoting their modest horror films, […]
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Conflicted Noah visually spectacular, narratively muddled
Hardly worrying about catering to the critical eye of theologians or the concerns of the bean counters at Paramount Pictures, director Darren Aronofsky has succeeded in creating a singular vision with Noah to the tune of $125 million. A film that created a stir from the moment it was announced, this is a project that […]
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Cap 2: Sober reflection
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Captain America. While it could be argued that Captain America is the least “super” of the superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe, there’s no question he carries the most symbolic weight. The character, having been created at the dawn of World War II, was an obvious propaganda symbol used […]
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Anderson in fine form
Tom Wilkinson, Tony Revolori and Owen Wilson. PHOTO COURTESY FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES It’s tempting to say that if you’ve seen one Wes Anderson film, you’ve seen them all, an ironic comment that I can’t help but think the director would appreciate. Each and every one of his movies from Rushmore on (The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic […]
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Not your father’s RoboCop
Joel Kinnaman as Alex Murphy in RoboCop. When Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop burst onto screens in 1987 it caused a sensation, primarily because of its excessive violence but also because of its cutting edge special effects. It also played out as a right-wing fantasy in which law and order was dispensed with impunity, with the title […]
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Monuments Men missing momentum
George Clooney as Frank Stokes George Clooney’s The Monuments Men has the sort of pedigree that Oscar winners are made of. What with an all-star cast, including former Academy Awards recipients Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Jean Dujardin (as well as Clooney) and Bill Murray, John Goodman and Bob Balaban, as well as a subject matter […]
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Lego joy
A scene from The Lego Movie. PHOTO COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES With Hasbro having turned G.I. Joe and Transformers into successful franchises, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they built a feature around those little plastic blocks from Denmark that I cuss at every time I step on one with bare […]
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Noble, moving tribute
Taylor Kitsch, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch in Lone Survivor. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor contains the most revelatory opening credits sequences I’ve seen in a long time. Composed of various documentary film clips, it quickly compresses the basic training regime that potential Navy Seals undergo. Grueling and beyond reason, […]
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Dysfunction at a gallop
Meryl Streep, Ewan McGregor and Julia Roberts in the film August: Osage County. PHOTO COURTESY THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play August: Osage County is the sort of work that makes you take stock of yourself and your life. After seeing this story of a dysfunctional Oklahoma family that’s lorded over by a […]
