Recent

Annie (2014)
In the past few days, critics have had a grand time running all over the new film version of Annie with a steamroller. It’s an easy movie to pick on. It’s corny. It’s flawed. It’s too long. The musical numbers are, for the most part, forgettable. Plus it has the single worst performance of Cameron […]

A Merry Friggin’ Christmas (2014)
If you ever had the intense desire to see what Robin Williams would be like if he played a character that channeled Archie Bunker, then you might have your wish granted by the comedy A Merry Friggin’ Christmas. Yet, before you run off to see this, it might be kind to inform you that the […]

Interstellar (2014)
If we learned anything last year from Gravity it is that when dealing with movies based on science fact, less is more. Christopher Nolan might have taken some of that to heart with his new space adventure Interstellar. Here is a movie with infinite science and infinite filmmaking skill, but it weighs so heavily on […]

Nightcrawler (2014)
Nightcrawler is a wickedly brilliant thriller, a social satire and an eerie look into the mind of a sociopath who can manipulate with the power of cold-blooded reason. That sounds like a tall order, but this is a deceptively simple plot made functional by a well-mounted script and a near-perfect performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal […]

St. Vincent (2014)
Ten minutes into Theodore Melfi’s St. Vincent you’ve already figured out how it is going to end. Once the cute kid meets the crusty old coot next door who hates children – and humanity at large – the movie becomes a long slow drive down Highway Inevitable. When you reach the destination, there’s nothing to […]

The Book of Life (2014)
The Book of Life is a joyful, giddy experience, brimming with energy and life, which is odd to say since much of it takes place in the land of the dead. But don’t let that description dissuade you, just because it is about the dead does not mean it’s a dreary experience. It’s more about […]

The Judge (2014)
If you have any interest at all in the new legal thriller The Judge, then it is safe to say that you’re probably drawn in by the casting. Here in the same film are Robert Downey, Jr. – one of the best actors of his generation, and Robert Duvall – the great lion of the […]

Gone Girl (2014)
No one would blame you if you approached David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best seller Gone Girl with a bit of trepidation. In most cases a hugely successful book turned into a movie leaves its faithful audience with the feeling of “Did they even bother to read the book?” It is a relief to […]