[8] Jay Baruchel voices a pre-pubescent Viking who fancies himself a dragon hunter — that is, until he accidentally befriends one of the creatures and dubs him Toothless. That’s when How to Train Your Dragon becomes a romance between a boy and his dragon. I was not prepared for how much I would enjoy this movie — great script, endearing characters, well-choreographed (and sustained!) action …
[7] I love horror movies and nothing scares me more than religious conviction. So I had high hopes for Kevin Smith’s Red State. The funny man (Clerks, Chasing Amy) does right by the horror genre and delivers a mostly thrilling hour and fifteen minutes, including a protracted Waco-style standoff where anything goes. Smith gets dangerous, willing to kill any character at any time. Fifteen minutes …
[8] AnnaLynne McCord gives a remarkable performance as a disturbed teenager whose vivid sex dreams and obsession with surgery spiral out of control in this sublime and disturbing coming-of-age horror comedy. First-time feature film writer/director Richard Bates, Jr. serves up a fast-paced script with surprisingly polished style. The film’s many dream sequences are exquisitely designed crashes of morbid imagery and sexual exaltation. The opening scene …
[6] A telekinetic tire comes to life in the desert and starts exploding small animals and many human heads in this bizarre horror comedy from Quentin Dupieux. If the absurd concept sounds remotely appealing, you might enjoy the movie. I enjoyed the early parts of the movie where the tire develops its knack for destruction, first on an empty water bottle, then a can, then …
[5] A so-so sequel with a few decent action set pieces to offer, but Robert Downey Jr is the real set piece here. Without his snarky persona, the franchise wouldn’t have much to hang their hat on. The biggest weakness here is the lack of a great villain. Mickey Rourke’s vengeful Russian character leaves a lot to be desired and skews the film toward anti-climax. …
[4] Thor features solid direction from Kenneth Branagh, a rousing score from Patrick Doyle, and always stunning set design from Bo Welch. Tom Hiddleston gives the best performance in the film, as Thor’s jealous brother, Loki. No one else, including Chris Hemsworth in the title role, leaves much of an impression. Anchoring the film in utter mediocrity is a script as plain and predictable as …
[8] This documentary focuses on the negative impact of keeping Orca whales in captivity for amusement park entertainment. It specifically focuses on the story of a whale named Tilicum and how he came to be a breeder and performer at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. The primary interview subjects are former Sea World trainers, who talk about breaking up family units, withholding food from the …
[8] Writer/director Paul Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie) creates a compelling star vehicle for Lily Tomlin with Grandma. Tomlin plays an irascible widower, who flits from girlfriend to girlfriend trying to fill the void left by her one true love that passed away years earlier. One day, her granddaughter comes to her for help. She’s pregnant and wants to have an abortion, but needs …
[7] Matthew McConaughey stars as Ron Woodruff in this true story about a womanizing electrician whose given thirty days to live after doctors discover he carries HIV. The year was 1985 and the American government was loathe to take HIV/AIDS very seriously at the time, with most people believing it was only a ‘gay disease.’ Indeed, Woodruff loses many of his old buddies when they …
[5] Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice feels like a movie with an identity crisis, tasked with performing two disparate, thankless tasks. The first is to set up a big fight between two iconic superheroes. You know, the kind of thing that makes comic book nerds leave sticky puddles in their Underoos. Thing is, for all the wonder you might have about this climactic showdown, …
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