Mother and Child
Emotionally charged drama features 3 stories of different women and the subject of adoption, the common thread that unites their experiences. An absolute powerhouse in the acting department: Kerry Washington, Annette Bening, and Naomi Watts are uniformly brilliant. Many scenes rely on nothing but the actor and their words. Simply the way someone sits or the […]
The Dinner Game
Minor French farce is a mistitled little ditty about a about a competition amongst a group of businessmen to see who can find the stupidest person to bring to dinner. The problem is that they never attend said dinner party, which undoubtedly would have been ripe for comedy. Instead the “dinner game” is more of […]
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Unimaginative swashbuckler about a prince who must keep an ancient dagger with the power to reverse time, from falling into the hands of a villainous lord. Superficial adventure film based on a video game probably sounds redundant. I mean Mortal Kombat is arguably the high point for these types of adaptations. The main problem is […]
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Shallow adventure about a thief, a hitman, and a bounty hunter all vying to find a treasure map. Starting with that title, this ho-hum Korean western is clearly upfront about being inspired by the Sergio Leone classic. The concept is unique, I mean a Spaghetti Western from South Korea, set in 1930s Manchuria, is pretty […]
My One and Only
Agreeable comedy follows a mother as she attempts to find a new father for her two young sons after catching her husband with another woman. Actor George Hamilton’s real life reminiscences on The Merv Griffin Show form the basis of this road movie about his childhood. Renée Zellweger plays the self absorbed woman who unrealistically […]
MacGruber
Vapid, action comedy about an inept soldier-of-fortune trying to stop a black market arms dealer. First 20 minutes of this alleged parody is about as serious as a real episode of the TV series MacGyver. Once Kristen Wiig shows up, there are a few inspired bits of lunacy that hint at what the film could […]
City Island
Pitch perfect comedy about the secrets a family hides from each other. Title refers to the area of the Bronx where the film is set. Everyone is superb in this ensemble cast, particularly Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies as the married couple at the center of it all. Script deftly handles multiple plot threads brilliantly, as […]
Babies
Passive documentary follows 4 newborns through their first year, born in Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, and the USA. Affectionate account lacks narration or even anything resembling an inquiring mind. We’re presented scene after scene of beautifully shot images of babies acting like babies. Granted some of the vignettes are captivating. Let’s face it, babies are cute. […]
Iron Man 2
The knowledge that Tony Stark is in fact Iron Man, is now public, as he must confront a new arch nemesis in Ivan Vanko, while still trying to maintain world peace. Solid superhero film is slick and spirited, but most of all, it still has a sense of humor. We have Robert Downey Jr. to […]
Pacific Heights
Suspenseful thriller about an unmarried couple who sublet their Victorian home to a menacing tenant. Hitchcockian tale gradually exposes their vulnerability so we share in the frustration of the young couple. Script also raises some interesting questions about California tenant laws. What makes this thriller so convincing is the unexpected path the story ultimately takes. […]