American family films have become a billion dollar business, much like all the other genre films coming out of Hollywood. I remember when family films like Little Rascals, Hocus Pocus or Trading Mom, didn’t need millions for special effects, they were about values and inspiring a young generation. Paper Planes seems to have those movies […]
There isn’t anything universally profound about 5 Flights Up, we accept Keaton and Freeman as husband and wife for over 40 years because they are both actors we are so familiar with. The script does well to also ignore the difference in skin color because it’s a moot point and certainly not what this story
The part about this being the longest ride isn’t a joke. Celebrated (or despised, depending on who you ask) author Nicholas Sparks’ 10th film adaptation has the longest running time yet. With a steady box office decline after the unmatched success of The Notebook, Sparks adaptations have gone from all-star casts to Brit Robertson from
Just when I thought Al Pacino was down for the count, he reunites with Christopher Plummer, The Insider co-star, coincidentally his last great film role. Danny Collins and the indie film Manglehorn have proved to be somewhat of a revival for the 74-year old actor. His performance here as a washed up one hit wonder
I consider Noah Baumbach like the less popular brother of Wes Anderson. Baumbach (The Squid & The Whale, Margot At the Wedding) worked on scripts with Anderson and the two have been friends for a while, so it isn’t surprising that the characters in While We’re Young feel similar to those in an Anderson film.
This might just be the timeliest film of 2015, with weekly reports of college fraternity embarrassments or just college students doing deplorable actions. Director Lone Scherfig (An Education) and screenwriter Laura Wade (based on her play) adapt this story about the behavior of the spoiled, rich, 1% as we say in the states. While the
Back in 2001, when Universal Studios realized fast cars could equate money, The Fast & The Furious was actually about racing. The two stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker were at the center of a film I doubt anyone understood would be going stronger than ever after installment number seven. The series reinvention along the
I am typically not a fan of abstract or overly qwerky films that seem only to exist to be unusual and different. However, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter by the Zellner Brothers is something I couldn’t get out of my head after seeing it. It’s based on the craziest true story I have heard in a
I am just going to be upfront and honest, “Backcountry” is one of the most terrifying films I have ever seen. Maybe it’s because I am from the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, maybe it’s because actor turned writer/director Adam McDonald studied bears and their habits for years before filming. Either way “Backcountry” is
For the second weekend in a row, a female lead film topped the American box office. Insurgent, the sequel to the box office hit Divergent, picks up right where it left off. Adding a host of new characters including Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (Snowpiercer, The Help) and Oscar nominee Naomi Watts (Birdman, The Impossible), the