[6] Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda square off in this by-the-numbers rom-com. Lopez is in love with Michael Vartan’s character, and Fonda’s character naturally doesn’t think Lopez is good enough for her baby boy. If you’ve ever seen any movie ever before, you can imagine the rest. Monster-in-Law doesn’t have to guts to get dark — that would have made it more interesting. But both …
[8] Frances McDormand and Amy Adams star in this ebullient female bonding flick set in the early 1930s, about a recently fired governess (McDormand) who ingratiates herself into the employment of a ditzy actress (Adams). This film, particularly in its first half, is a serendipitous comedy full of witty dialogue and a dash of slapstick. It moves quickly and I was completely caught up in its spell. When …
[6] Chris Pine stars as a young blind man trying to enter the dating world. His brother (American Pie‘s Eddie Kaye Thomas) steers him in plenty of wrong, comedic directions before Pine realizes he’s attracted to the young Indian receptionist at his doctor’s office. The Indian woman (Anjali Jay) wrestles with her family’s customs and is torn between an impending arranged marriage and an unsanctioned …
[7] The superhero film movement happened in spurts dating all the way back to Richard Donner’s 1978 film Superman: The Movie, but with Iron Man, Marvel Studios declared the genre was here to stay. Iron Man lays groundwork for a greater franchise effort, and indeed, nine years later (this review is written in 2017), that franchise shows no sign of slowing down. For better or for …
[7] In this remake of a Swedish film, an L.A. detective and his partner get loaned out to a town in Alaska where night never falls for half the year. While they’re hunting a killer, the detective accidentally kills his partner and tries to cover the truth about the incident. But then the killer starts to blackmail the detective, all while a young local officer does …
[7] A zombie apocalypse road trip movie with amusement park overtones? Oh, hell yeah. With its strong character humor and plenty of sight gags, Zombieland is a joyously exploitative horror comedy that deflects any serious criticism. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson are the keys to this movie’s success. Eisenberg is a disarming combination of sweet and ridiculous, while Woody Harrelson gets the juicy opportunity to …
[6] SPOILER REVIEW. The Next Generation crew go out on a relatively low note, but not a whimper. Aside from the wedding of Riker and Troi early in the film, Nemesis is an uncharacteristically dark entry in the franchise. The villain this time is Shinzon (Tom Hardy), a spiteful young clone of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) who was conceived and abandoned by the Romulans. Shinzon …
[7] Revolutionary Road explores the dark side of marriage, where husband and wife suffocate in the confines of traditional gender roles and start lashing out at one another. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (together again for the first time since Titanic) service the material very well. The movie wisely avoids too much pointed dialogue, which makes it more of an acting (reacting) showcase. I was …
[6] This screwy comedy about top secret military psychics is based (to questionable extent) on truth. While the ramifications of the subject matter is provocative, the film wisely overlooks them to revel in the absurdity of it all. By its end, The Men Who Stare at Goats becomes downright whimsical. There’s a scant plot with a hazy focus, but that’s okay. The reason to watch …
[7] Christopher Nolan successfully reboots the Batman franchise by taking a cue from Bryan Singer (X-Men), who showed the world how much better a comic book movie could be by taking its subject matter seriously. While the approach works for this Batman film, I must admit that I personally prefer my Batman movies to be hyper-stylized and gothic as all get out, which Tim Burton …
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