What a different film from the 2017 version, which I had loved. It’s puzzling that this one, written by essentially the same writers (director Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Dave Callahan) and with the same director (Patty Jenkins), could fall so short of the previous version. Could the fact that it had so many (17) producers have made […]
Known for his inventive indie films, Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) takes aim at the mainstream, with his adaptation of the best-selling book Where’d You Go, Bernadette. The Oscar-nominated director from Austin cast Cate Blanchett in the lead role, a choice that fans of the book had long predicted and hoped for. It’s a return to greatness for her
The opening of this film set me up for disappointment with an extended battle in dim light in which the characters are not recognizable. Suddenly, there looms a glorious, colorful view of the island of Berk, and things began to look up. What follows, however, is the least interesting story of the three Dragon movies. Here, the challenge for
The new film from auteur Alexander Payne (Nebraska, The Descendants) is unlike anything he’s done before. It’s a film that first and foremost sells itself as a comedy, to be fair, most Payne films do, yet turns out to be something different entirely. It’s science fiction, but presented in mostly realistic terms. There hasn’t been
The special effects, humor, and sheer imagination of the Despicable Me series continue to be refreshing and delightful for children. There were many chuckles from children (and adults, by the way) in the screening I attended, as well as sighs during the tender moments. Like its predecessors, 3 is mostly entertaining (as it’s meant to
The irony behind the title certainly extends to the filmmakers, as they have delivered quite the comedy dud. The biggest joke here is when “based on a true story” appears near the opening credits. It’s true, this film loosely depicts (and makes fun of) the backwards North Carolina rednecks, who pulled off the largest sum
After years of trying to get a third Ghostbusters film together, comedy director Paul Feig (The Heat, Spy) bypassed Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, with a greenlight from the studio for an all-female Ghostbusters. The problem with this reboot isn’t the all-female cast, if I had my preference women would have all the leading roles
The only fun to be had, literally the only thing to keep one paying attention to Ben Stiller’s unfunny sequel is cameo counting. While Zoolander 2 is filled with pop-stars like Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Willie Nelson, hardly any of them have more than two seconds of screen time, nor do they have any
You probably have to go all the way back to “Gladiator” to find a film from Ridley Scott that display’s the quality seen in “The Martian”. Not the first choice to direct this book to film adaptation, the 77-year-old director certainly understands space and gives us a lot of it. “The Martian” isn’t a
Fall Movie Season is here! Finally after all those endlessly lackluster summer movies, so loud and filled with mind-wasting special effects, it’s once again, time for the good stuff.