The Change-Up (2011)
[3] I'm all for slummin' it through a naughty romp every now and then, and sex comedies are even a favorite genre of mine. But The Change-Up reeks of pathetic desperation, actually giving dick, fart, piss, and boob jokes a…
Ghostbusters (2016)
[6] This isn't a reboot -- it's damn near a paint-by-numbers remake of the 1984 original. But for a remake, it's not too bad -- thanks primarily to the all-female ensemble. While none of the women have a chance to truly soar…
The Shallows (2016)
[6] Blake Lively stars in this claustrophobic thriller about a woman trapped by a great white shark in a shallow ocean cove. Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, House of Wax) captures the beauty of the Australian surroundings (passing for Mexico in the…
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
[5] Two loser brothers are forced by their parents to bring dates to their sister's wedding. Zac Efron and Adam Devine (mini-Jack Black) play the losers, channeling goofy male leads from every romantic comedy you ever saw. Anna Kendrick and Aubrey…
The Neon Demon (2016)
[7] Fans of Drive and Only God Forgives director Nicolas Winding Refn should find his latest effort beautiful and interesting. Outsiders may find it frustrating. Elle Fanning headlines a strong cast, playing an underage model trying to make it big in Los Angeles.…
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
[4] The first Independence Day is one of those films that strikes just the right tone, something between earnest and goofy-as-hell, genuinely terrifying and gloriously indulgent. It was like the best possible kind of Irwin Allen disaster movie, where the…
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
[8] Bryan Singer returns to helm his fourth film in the X-Men series, and he hits another home run. This one picks up some number of years after the events of Days of Future Past, as an ancient all-powerful baddie…
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
[7] It's the third Captain America movie, but since most of the Avengers cast is reunited, it feels more like Avengers 3. Not that it matters -- these movies all start to feel the same anyway. I like how this…
Green Room (2016)
[7] After witnessing a murder, a punk band gets trapped by skinheads at a rural dive bar in this survival/revenge tale from writer/director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin). Anton Yelchin (from the Star Trek and Fright Night remakes) and Imogen Poots…
Let Me In (2010)
[6] Matt Reeves, the director of Cloverfield, makes the second stab at John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel about a twelve-year-old boy who unwittingly befriends a vampire girl. (A Swedish film version, Let the Right One In, was released in 2008.) The…