Director : Simon Curtis Year Of Release : 2015 Principal Cast : Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Bruhl, Katie Holmes, Tatiana Maslany, Max Irons, Charles […]
– Summary – Director : David Sandberg Year Of Release : 2015 Principal Cast : David Sandberg, Jorma Taccone, Steven Chew, Leopold Nilsson, Adreas Cahling, […]
Effective, meandering musical drama/comedy is beguiling and sweet, even when occasionally it feels somewhat contrived. While tainted by one of the most generic film titles in recent years, Begin Again is a surprisingly good movie that is blessed by an equally good musical soundtrack.
Diverting entertainment doesn’t come more polished, pleasant or glowing than this, the latest entry into the Tinker Bell film franchise. It’s Disney through-and-through, a shining kiddie film that personifies all the moral, ethical and social Good Stuff you’ve come to expect from the Mouse House. The Pirate Fairy will entertain the young tots, bore the social-media obsessed teen, and provide welcome relief to any parent hoping to catch up on their cleaning. Unremarkable but competent.
Sporadically funny, sometimes gut-bustingly so, this Jackass feature lacks momentum and spends too long dwelling in inanity and not enough time in ripping into its victims, but the end result is pleasantly diverting.
Nice intentioned, yet ultimately decidedly dull ensemble flick that sparkles whenever Stockard Channing or Forest Whitaker arrive on scene; Smoke spends more time away from the landmark cigarette store that headlines the film than they do in it. While the characters are generally interesting, and the movie is well filmed in and around New York City, there’s a lethargy and clunkiness to the script and the performances that prevent it from being a great film.
Dynamite animation overcomes a somewhat haphazard plot, resulting in a beautiful – if emotionally vapid – Disney Fairies entry, the fourth in the Tinker Bell franchise. The story is as inconsequential as ever, although unlike previous installments Tinker Bell never develops as a person here; it’s more of an ensemble piece than the others, and I think this dilutes things for the younger tots as far as morals and messages within the story go. This doesn’t mean Secret of the Wings isn’t worth your time, because for any young girl under the age of 10, this is a critic-proof must see. It’s a terrific little film, although you do get the sense that there’s not much more to be mined out of this franchise.
Sporadically chilling, The Fourth Kind is a generally turgid affair that tries to frighten with purported “real footage” of people undergoing hypnosis to support the movie’s claims of alien abduction. The scares are fairly effective, although the large gaps of story between them are slow and tedious to work through. Milla Jovovich delivers a decent enough performance to save the film from complete oblivion, but Elias Koteas and Will Patton are given terrible characters that frustrate the viewer instead of giving us something to work with. The Fourth Kind tries for the same visceral thrills of The Blair Witch Project, but falls short of delivering a truly scary movie. In parts, it’s plain silly.
Slick, stylish comedy, no, adventure…. no, heist yarn that meanders more than it punches. Stiller is solid, Murphy looks like he’s barely interested, while Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda steal the show right out from under the rest of the cast. Hardly a patch on Ocean’s 11, Tower Heist is forgettable movie fare that’s as entertaining as it is unmemorable.
Terrific human interest story with deft performances by the trio of leads – McGregor once again proves one of his generation’s most dependable actors, while Emily Blunt reaffirms her status as the best British actress of her age bracket today – all wrapped up in a cutesy little plot device that is as harmless as the title might indicate.
This film is about love – but not in that Moulin Rouge kinda way. Intelligent, cleverly written, well performed by the entire cast, Crazy Stupid Love is a terrific film on all fronts, even if it does run a little long. You could do worse than giving this one a whirl.
Well acted, well directed, painfully written adult comedy from the people who brought is Juno (a film I’m fairly ambivanelt towards), Young Adult barely has enough energy within it to warrant even the barest of reviews – no matter how good the film should be, it never once resonated with me in any emotional way. Theron’s character, while certainly well acted by the talented actress, is about as thick as two planks, and frustrating to watch…. neither of which is conducive to a great night in front of the television. I hated even liking this film, because I wanted to loathe it with every fiber in my being. In the end, however, I came to appreciate it for what it was: a well made, but utterly nasty, dramatic comedy that I never once found dramatic or comedic.
Surprisingly sweet romantic comedy hits the mark for fun, yet feels a whole lot like you’ve been-there-done-that… and we have, many many times. The tried and true romantic comedy formula plays out exactly as it should, offering nothing new while at the same time delivering a welcome respite from dull, dreary Jennifer Aniston movies. Barrymore cruises through this, Justin Long is a solid leading man, and the backup cast all feel like they’re reading the playbook on rom/com films; it’s funny, sweet, and in the end utterly forgettable.
By the numbers, terribly bland action film hits all the right notes, body-slams them home with a jackhammer, and delivers only the most mild amounts of excitement. If 12 Rounds is some sort of play on words about how well pro-wrestler John Cena does in the ring, then this film is a round 1 TKO fiasco.
Terrific romantic dramadey with touching, elegant scripting and truly delightful, honest performances from both JoGo and Deschanel, 500 Days Of Summer manages to transcend the rom-com cliches and cliched Hollywood crap and actually be a film that can be watched by both men and women with equal enjoyment.
Cleverly animated, sometimes overly preachy Disney feature tries to be magical and more often than not succeeds; the ending, however, feels clunky and forced, but overall another excellent installment of the adventures of Disney’s favorite fairy.
A whole load less lighthearted than the original Tinker Bell, The Lost Treasure sees Tink (and us) out of her comfort zone dealing not only with friendship issues, but also the responsibility of keeping her fairy world going! Again, the Disney über-mantra of friendship and love pervades everything in this film, and the animation is again stunning for a Direct-to-DVD release, so for the young fans this will definitely be a keeper.
Simple, well animated kiddie film entertains well enough, in typical Disney charm. Magical, funny and designed for the very young, Tinker Bell is an origin story worth a gander for any parent looking to keep their tots entertained for an hour.
Slick, well filmed thriller from Polanski, with a terrific slow-burn approach echoing a masterful Alfred Hitchcock, The Ghost Writer is yet another triumph from a visionary director. Or, it’s a terrible bore. Depends on your tolerance for vague, inexplicably convoluted twists and labyrinthine turns, none of which makes any sense until the final five minutes, I guess.
Tepid, drama-lite character study of greed no longer being simply good, but rather being a state of mind. The young cast perform well on the big stage, while Michael Douglas look a little lost returning to his most iconic role – Gordon Gekko looks out of place in the swisho-schmick world of modern corporate baking and stock options – although it must be said that, as is often with Wall Street, looks can be deceiving.
