Tales from the Script

"This Means War" Means Go See "Ghost Rider"

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:12:28 -0400

This film has one, and only one saving grace: Chelsea Handler.

"The Dead" Is a Lyrically Beautiful Zombie Movie...Yes, That's Right

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:41:53 -0400

The only zombie film I've ever seen that is undisputedly an A film.

Harry Potter Meets "The Woman in Black"

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:16:42 -0400

A gleefull retreat to subdued Victorian horror in the grand tradition.

Clooney Deserves Second Oscar in "The Descendants"

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:31:56 -0400

Awkward and raw, "The Descendants" has amusing moments but is not the feel-good movie of the year.

Tuskegee Airmen Take Wing in "Red Tails"

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:27:51 -0400

Red Tails is superficial and juvenile. It's also grand and glorious

"The Artist" is a Joyful Return to a Simpler Time at the Movies

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:59:34 -0400

The Artist is a silent film, yet speaks more distinctly than any other film I've seen in months.

Beckinsale Trades Acting for Skintight Rubber in "Underworld: Awakening

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:46:53 -0400

At least she's not pouting and whining like a Cullen.

Roman Polanski Orchestrates "Carnage"

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:10:49 -0400

It wouldn't be the first time performances have risen above material.

"Documentary Filmmaker" Finds Evidence of "The Devil Inside"

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:39:27 -0400

Fairly interesting for subject matter you've seen a thousand times.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Makes Her Mark

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:39:34 -0400

The only thing I can really pick on is the fact that here are Craig and Mara and Plummer, supposedly Swedes, spouting off in English for two hours.

Spielberg Sneaks Sly Theme into "War Horse"

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:57:01 -0400

A tractor can plow your field and a tank can take you into battle, but they don't love you and have no life they would willingly give for you.

Cruise Teeters Precariously in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:52:00 -0400

Everybody likes the idea that America can carry out its foreign policy by tiny surgical strikes rather than by massive bombardment.

Holmes Meets Moriarty for "A Game of Shadows"

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:09:25 -0400

A Game of Shadows, the follow-up to 2009's Sherlock Holmes, is one of those rare sequels that may actually be better than the original.

Hill Mismanages Hellions in The Sitter

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:53:54 -0400

When you have two movies like this back to back, it's difficult to conclude that this is not, at least circumstantially, a trend.

Garry Marshall Celebrates "New Year's Eve" Prematurely

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 12:40:08 -0400

Every director has a misfire sooner or later, but rarely have I witnessed a breakdown like this

Scorsese Bares Cinematic Soul in Hugo

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:14:13 -0400

I have no doubt that Hugo will be Oscar-nominated for Best Film, and Scorsese for Best Director.

The End of "Twilight" Begins in "Breaking Dawn Part I"

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 11:12:58 -0400

The Vampire Lestat would rip whiny Edward Cullen into shreds and Lon Chaney, Jr.'s original Wolfman would have werepuppy Jacob as a midnight snack.

Immortals Revises Classics Downward

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:56:47 -0400

You know, the island of Crete really is much prettier than a greenscreen in a warehouse.

Clint Tiptoes Through the Daffodils With "J. Edgar"

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:41:05 -0400

Was Hoover a flaming cross-dresser who publicly vilified homosexuals, then secretly went home to his lover, subordinate Clyde Tolson?

"A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" Offends EVERYONE

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:39:40 -0400

This is an awful film and a terrible movie and shouldn't be seen by anyone with even a modicum of taste. Fortunately, I have none.

Depp Channels Thompson Once Again in "The Rum Diary"

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:22:58 -0400

The film's comedy and outrageousness is more character-driven than situational, with Depp much more restrained than in his signature role as Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Found Footage" of Haunted Sisters Explains Too Much in "Paranormal Activity 3"

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 11:03:13 -0400

I invite any reader who believes he or she has such footage to show it to me.

"The Thing" Desperately Tries to Mimic 1982 Classic

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:30:37 -0400

The Thing wants to absorb and imitate these characters' bodies? Fine Let it.

Jackman Anchors "Real Steel"

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:50:24 -0400

"Real Steel" is real fun.

Politicians and Voters Alike Should See "The Ides of March"

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 11:28:50 -0400

Politics is dirty and brutal. As the saying goes, these truths are self-evident.

Despite Performances, "50/50" a Clueless "Disease of the Week" Flick

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 13:21:30 -0400

Craig and Weisz Move into Their "Dream House"

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:20:55 -0400

There's sufficient information in the trailer of this film to give away most of its secrets, and that's its primary problem.

Statham and Owen Duke it Out in "Killer Elite"

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:44:33 -0400

Once you get used to killing people, it doesn't really matter which side they're on.

Pitt Hits Home Run with "Moneyball"

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 10:41:32 -0400

Moneyball is a high-quality film full of Oscar potential, especially for the often and unfairly maligned Pitt.

Don't Ask Questions, Just "Drive"

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 18:15:40 -0400

Gentle, cerebral comic actor Albert Brooks is easily Best Villain of the Year.

Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" Neutered in Remake

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:21:10 -0400

An effete city slicker who's never shot a gun in his life can maim and kill just as efficiently as any less-educated barbarian, and enjoy it just as much.

Tough Performances K.O. Trite Cliches in "Warrior"

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:28:14 -0400

These are star-making performances which could do for Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy what Rich Man, Poor Man did for Nick Nolte.

Terrifying Real Monster Threatens Humanity in "Contagion"

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:40:44 -0400

An all-too plausible scenario, which would render other issues, like the deficit debate, trivial.

"Apollo 18" Reveals Why We Abandoned the Moon

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:48:42 -0400

There's creepy stuff happening on the moon which explains why this "classified mission" was never known to the public.

Del Toro Advises Audience "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 09:33:35 -0400

If I was 10 years old, it would scare the bejeezus out of me.

Rudd Personifies Problematic Siblings in "Our Idiot Brother"

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:36:22 -0400

Oblivious to the disingenuousness of others, Ned is completely honest.

"Fright Night" Is a Remake that Gets It

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 12:30:48 -0400

"Fright Night" makes its vampire dangerous, interesting and a lot of fun, the way they used to be before Anne Rice and Stephanie Meyer got their hands on them.

"Conan the Barbarian" Forgets the Riddle of Steel

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:10:56 -0400

Jason Momoa looks the part, and could easily have risen to the demands of a better film.

"Final Destination 5" Obviously Isn't the Final Anything

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:59:14 -0400

Death's ledger must be balanced.

Davis a Likely Oscar Contender in "The Help"

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:03:55 -0400

Audience Cheers for Mankind's Fall

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 10:24:59 -0400

It's surreal, watching an audience applaud human extinction.

Carrell Falls in "Crazy, Stupid, Love"

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:45:25 -0400

The notion of the two twists of fate upon which the story depends is more incredible than that nasty aliens can invade the wild, wild West.

Favreau and Cast Have True Grit in "Cowboys & Aliens"

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:57:18 -0400

Saddle up and head on down to the multiplex and get out o' the heat.

The Greatest Generation Spawns the Greatest Superhero in "Captain America: The First Avenger"

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 10:43:32 -0400

Director Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger is head and shoulders above the rest of the 2011 comics-inspired films.

Bittersweet Endings in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II"

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:05:37 -0400

Alan Rickman as the enigmatic Professor Snape, is really the most important, interesting and tragic character, more so than Harry himself.

Aniston, Farrell and Spacey Are "Horrible Bosses"

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:43:51 -0400

Bateman is one of Hollywood's great comic straight men, the "real person" in an avalanche of lunacy.

Bay Keeps Robots, Misplaces Megan Fox in Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:54:35 -0400

Giant robots and spectacular 3D action can't make up for a bland heroine.

"Cars 2" Trades Rustic Milieu for International Spotlight

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:10:35 -0400

There's no Paul Newman to find the film's heart and, without him, I'm not sure it ever does.

Cameron Diaz is a "Bad Teacher"

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:59:17 -0400

I never had a teacher who looked like Cameron Diaz.

More Big-Screen Super-Heroism with "Green Lantern"

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 09:37:15 -0400

"Green Lantern" is one film I would recommend seeing in 3D, as its greatest asset is its bizarre cosmic visualizations.

"Super 8" Camouflages 2000s Coming-of-Age Film in

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:14:45 -0400

There's hardly any way this film could fail to speak to me, or to the child in any of us. Like its youthful protagonists, I grew up on monster magazines and model-building, which led to "appropriating" my parents' Super 8 camera and browbeating my little friends until they agreed to act for me and frequently perform their own stunts, which now, as a parent, I would be appalled at if my kids attempted.

"X-Men: First Class" Delightfully Reboots X Series

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:20:23 -0400

Same as It Ever Was, Wolfpack Wakes Up With "The Hangover Part II"

Fri, 27 May 2011 09:57:00 -0400

Is surrendering the reins to our inner Mr. Hyde a personal failure, or is it a strength to allow free expression to our true nature?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Misses Its Captain

Sat, 21 May 2011 20:30:46 -0400

Disney's beloved series Pirates of the Caribbean -- in which practically no one, including me, had any faith going in -- hasn't quite foundered, but it's taking on water.

Wiig Plans The Party in Bridesmaids

Sat, 14 May 2011 13:11:12 -0400

"Bridesmaids" is a rare opportunity for talented actresses to carry a raucous comedy with very little assistance from or dependence on their male counterparts.

Priest Steals Themes, Needlessly Flogs Dead Vampires

Sat, 14 May 2011 11:38:58 -0400

I do not necessarily hold theft against a director, as long as the crime is deft.

Thor Sports Flowery Dialogue, Painful Wardrobe

Fri, 06 May 2011 19:21:30 -0400

Get thee to a theater, mortal!

Gumshoe Investigates Undead in "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night"

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 11:58:22 -0400

I've gotten progressively less interested in supernatural beings like vampires and werewoves since the "Twilight" franchise began.

Buckle Up and Floor It for "Fast Five"

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 10:31:26 -0400

I have a confession: Unlike other critics, I don't hate sequels.

Pattinson Spills "Water for Elephants," Leaves Holbrook to Mop Up

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:23:39 -0400

Rosie the elephant deserved more screen time.

Redford Revisits The War

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:24:06 -0400

I vaguely remember reading some of this stuff in history class, that John Wilkes Booth didn't act alone in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and that, after his death, several other people were hung. That's about as much as I know, but director Robert Redford's The Con

Energetically Bloodthirsty "Scre4m" Is a Guilty Pleasure

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:15:14 -0400

How can you possibly be entertained by, much less laugh at, people being slaughtered like animals

Soul Surfer Takes Disney Channel Approach to Theology

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:38:19 -0400

Yes, it's inspirational, as long as you bear in mind that it's the Disney Channel version of "inspirational."

"Arthur" is More Clueless in Recession Than in the '80s

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:20:18 -0400

When the outlook for most is grim, to expect audiences to embrace an out-of-control spendthrift who never awakes to the situation around him borders on the obscene.

"Insidious" Begs and Borrows Paranormal Elements on Efficient Budget

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:45:18 -0400

Somewhere in the back of our minds, we tend to believe all these superstitions.

"Source Code" Exceeds Its Time Travel Conventions

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:30:57 -0400

"Source Code" is science fiction that pushes the boundaries of theory, technology and philosophy, yet never forgets the very real, human feelings of its characters.

Snyder Takes Psychotic Alice Down Megaviolent Rabbithole in "Sucker Punch"

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 09:53:03 -0400

Snyder's vision connects with the subconscious in a way we've seen in the films of Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton, and then ratchets up the intensity about 100 times.

McConaughey Just as Charming, But More Mature in "The Lincoln Lawyer"

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 11:16:25 -0400

You've seen this film before, but seldom have you seen it as classy.

"Paul" Less of an Alien than Brits

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 09:44:43 -0400

There is more alien-ness in Pegg and Frost, who are more astounded by the intolerance, ignorance and bigotry they encounter in rural America than they are by Paul himself.

"Red Riding Hood" Preys on "Twilight" Demographic

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 11:49:33 -0400

The studio marketeers are after the Twilight audience, but they have fatally misjudged the story's deeper potential.

Marines Defend America in "Battle: Los Angeles"

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:09:11 -0400

The real story in a monster/disaster/invasion movie is with the people in the streets who have no idea what's going on, not the politicians and scientists ruminating about the situation from a safe distance.

Verbinksi, Depp Reunite, Go West in "Rango"

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:20:18 -0400

"Rango" is an elaborate, delightful and noticeably 2-D film whose charm transcends the descending standards of the animated marketplace.

"The Adjustment Bureau" Orchestrates the Myth We Call "Free Will"

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:57:03 -0400

"The Adjustment Bureau" is a calculatingly subversive film in its proposition that the reason for our very existence is to question the ultimate authority, and I don't mean the Federal Reserve.

Cage Gets to "Drive Angry" in 3D

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:27:01 -0400

This movie is a mindless excuse for gratuitous sex and violence and has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I was entertained.

Wilson and Sudeikis Get a Hall Pass; Audience Gets Detention

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 10:12:44 -0400

Wilson and Sudeikis have been married so long that they've forgotten everything about being single and are completely incompetent at baching it.

Liam Neeson Finds Himself Unknown in Paranoia Thriller

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 14:22:49 -0400

The answers to Unknown's questions are not quite as delectable as the questions themselves, which is usually the case.

I Am Number Four Plunders Better Fantasy/SF Shamelessly

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 09:19:43 -0400

The only thing more insulting than a film that presumes I'm too stupid to realize what a ripoff it is is one that feels like it's obliged to tell me so.

Disgraced Roman Searches for Lost Honor and The Eagle

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:23:16 -0400

Yard Art Dumbs Down Shakespeare in Gnomeo and Juliet

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:11:33 -0400

How do you fit Maggie Smith and Patrick Stewart and Jason Statham and Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan and Dolly Parton into Shakespeare?

Don

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 08:34:38 -0400

I couldn't shake the notion I'd seen the film before. Wait - I did: director Barbet Schroeder's Single White Female.

Anthony Hopkins Teaches Junior Priest The Rite

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 13:11:31 -0400

Anthony Hopkins could cold-read your grocery list and make it interesting.

Gosling and Williams Share a Blue Valentine

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 11:54:13 -0400

Young couple falls in love, get married, and later realize the man is not the prince that the woman believed he was, nor is the woman the princess the man believed she was.

Boyle Tortures Franco for 127 Hours

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:17:00 -0400

127 Hours is an amazing stream of consciousness that pulls you into the altered state of reality canyoneer Aron Ralston experienced during his five days trapped with no hope and facing certain death.

No Brain Required for No Strings Attached

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:19:54 -0400

If you want a generic screenplay that virtually wrote itself, look no farther than No Strings Attached.

Gondry and Rogen Salute Lee in Updated The Green Hornet

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 22:55:07 -0400

There's nothing as cool as Bruce Lee or Al Hirt in director Michel Gondry's updated "The Green Hornet," but neither is it the disaster I'd dreaded.

Howard Unnecessarily Trivializes The Dilemma

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 09:16:41 -0400

Do you tell your best friend when you discover his wife is cheating with another man, or would that do more harm than good?

The Dark Ages Look Even Gloomier in Season of the Witch

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:07:01 -0400

Maybe the reason we reject the Dark Ages in movies is the latent fear that those times might be just around the corner again.

Country Strong = Crazy Heart Lite

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:18:52 -0400

Didn't Jeff Bridges just win an Academy Award for this plot?

Machete Dices Jalapenos into Your Film Diet

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 09:47:21 -0400

Unlike most movies that end up being trash, Machete knows what it is and revels in it, and wants you to, as well.

Movie Schedule Bluffs, Infuriates Critic

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:48:34 -0400

The film I was truly curious to see over the holidays was director Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.

Bridges Inherits Rooster's Eyepatch in "True Grit"

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:15:53 -0400

This is the first remake I readily remember that purists have not protested.

Bridges Rezzes Up for Tron: Legacy

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:51:30 -0400

While there are enormous flaws, at least it's an intelligent, visually striking film with unique production design that screams to be seen in 3D.

Aronofsky Drives Portman Over the Edge in Black Swan

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 09:30:51 -0400

The pursuit of professional mastery frequently leaves little or no time for a balanced personal life.

Depp Does His Job Too Well in "The Tourist"

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:09:12 -0400

You don't have Cary Grant play an insurance executive; you have Cary Grant play Cary Grant playing an insurance executive.

Old West Meets Far East By Way of 300 in The Warrior's Way

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 09:18:56 -0400

It wouldn't be entirely unfair to dismiss The Warrior's Way as "Cowboys versus Ninjas."

Johnson Runs Faster Back to His Action Roots

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:23:40 -0400

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson steers his career to its rightful course after forays into child-oriented nonsense

Gyllenhall and Zwick Peddle Love and Other Drugs

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:54:33 -0400

Trailers I've seen for this movie make it look like your typical romantic comedy, but director Edward Zwick's Love and Other Drugs touches on weightier issues.

The End is Near in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 09:51:23 -0400

Warner Brothers' decision to split J.K. Rowling's final book into two films, maddening as it may be, is correct.

Bizarre Aliens Cop Out in Skyline

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 23:39:24 -0400

How many times are these pesky aliens going to invade Earth, anyway?

Unstoppable a Disaster Movie In More Ways Than One

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:09:17 -0400

Unstoppable is the fifth collaboration between star Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott.