Jailhouse to Milhouse (2024)
I had a minor resistance walking into Buddy [...]
Mystery/Suspense
Devil’s Knot (2014)
Atom Egoyan’s Devil’s Knot is wholly unnecessary. Here is a fictionalized recreation of the brutal 1993 murders of three elementary school boys from West Memphis, Arkansas that has already been documented to death, first in Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s brilliant 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills and then in […]
The Machine (2014)
I can’t get anywhere without my GPS. I’m told that I am “directionally challenged.” I depend on my cell phone for so much that I could be accused leaving normal functions to wires and microchips. When I get home, I spend a majority of my time on the computer. I don’t think I’m alone. This […]
In the Blood (2014)
In the Blood has nearly the same plot as the Liam Neeson thriller Taken but it is much easier to swallow. Here again is another movie about someone who finds that their loved one has been kidnapped and must twist and turn into a seamy underworld to bring them back. The difference between the two […]
Noah (2014)
There are a lot of things to admire about Darren Aronofsky’s Noah , most refreshing is the fact that, for once, a biblical epic is being helmed by a competent director. After the recent short shrift given to Jesus in Son of God and the torpid Christian pep-rally of God’s Not Dead, it is nice […]
2 Guns (2013)
A lot of crime movies feature mountains of illegally obtained money. Like the sight of shiny sports cars and healthy bosoms, its a fun treat that can be easily photographed – when we see it, we know exactly what we’re looking at. Yet, Baltasar Kormákur may be the first director in history to place the […]
Pacific Rim (2013)
With his new science fiction thriller “Pacific Rim,” director Guillermo del Toro effectively takes Michael Bay to school on how to make a movie about giant robots. Unlike Bay’s torpid transforming nonsense, del Toro’s film is thoughtful and smart. It may not be perfect, but it’s got way more style, way more substance and way […]
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
They say that in show business timing is everything. That said, it might be reasonable to question whether or not a movie about an attack on the White House by a North Korean terrorist sect is a good idea given the world situation. With the North Koreans currently rattling their sabers, and prepping for war, […]
The Call (2013)
Brad Anderson’s The Call is a thriller that, for about the first hour or so, runs on a degree of tension and efficient writing. The screenplay is written with lock-step thinking that keeps you riveted. Unfortunately, it can’t maintain that tone and is burned down by a nonsensical third act that is just plain stupid. […]
