[6] Writer/director Eliza Hittman takes us inside the secretive life of a teen boy trying to figure out if he’s straight or gay. He’s clearly attracted to men and hooks up with several older ones he meets online. But he’s also interested in at least trying to be straight, especially when a girl on the New Jersey boardwalk takes a liking to him. It’s not …
[7] If ever there was something ripe for a remake, I think Stephen King’s It would be near the top of my list. The original 1990 TV mini-series is good, but it begins to fall apart in its second half, partly for budgetary reasons. The feature-film is being remade in two parts, so we’ll have to wait a year to see if ‘Chapter Two’ improves …
[5] Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson star in this tepid action/comedy that feels too inspired by buddy flicks like Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang for its own good. Reynolds plays a down-and-out bodyguard hired to protect an incarcerated hitman (Jackson) while he’s escorted to trial where he’ll testify against a deadly dictator (Gary Oldman). The plot is a hack job if there …
[7] Colin Firth plays the stuttering King George VI, who never wanted to be king for fear of his speech impediment bringing shame to him and his family. The King’s Speech focuses on the antagonistic relationship between the king and his therapist, Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, and culminates in a live radio speech the King gives on the eve of Britain’s declaration of …
[6] Don’t expect a joke-riddled laugh riot with Logan Lucky. The movie’s more of a quirky ensemble character piece by way of a heist movie. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver star as West Virginia brothers who conspire with a jailed safe-breaker (played by Daniel Craig) to steal cash from a major NASCAR event. Steven Soderbergh directs this fluffy drama/comedy and fills out the cast with Seth …
[7] This vampire flick from the Spierig brothers (Undead) is good old-fashioned B-movie fun. The concept of a world full of vampires on the brink of a blood shortage is interesting, even if the plot goes silly at times. I liked Ethan Hawke as the vampire in charge of finding a blood substitute (just when I was pretty sure I’d never like Ethan Hawke again). …
[6] A farming town falls victim to an airborne toxin that turns everyone into homicidal maniacs in this remake of George Romero’s 1973 original. The film is directed by Breck Eisner (son of former Disney CEO Michael Eisner), and while it drags in many places and brings little originality to the ‘outbreak’ or ‘zombie’ subgenres, it’s nonetheless a competent little horror flick. My main gripe …
[7] In this remake of a British original, all hell breaks loose at a funeral where volatile secrets are revealed. There are a few raunchy moments in the remake –directed by Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men) — but the film has much more in common with the old screwball comedies of the 40s than today’s common gross-out fests. The film is sprinkled with …
[8] A dorky teenager (Aaron Johnson) decides to dress up like a superhero and help people in need. He encounters a few other kids with similar ambitions, and before you know it, you have a hyper-violent, low-rent, joyous abomination of the superhero flick. Director and co-screenwriter Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) takes some unpredictable turns, railing against our expectations to create some terrific edge-of-your-seat moments. Nothing …
[8] A teenaged girl ropes an aging, alcoholic U.S. Marshall into helping her find justice for her father’s murder. In this age of sequels and remakes, it’s hard to believe one of them could actually be this good. The Coen Brothers take the John Wayne original (based on a book by Charles Portis), roll it in mud, fray the edges, and weave a telling that’s …
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