[7] Saoirse Ronan stars as the title character, an anxiety-ridden, pretentious, troubled — well, normal, I guess — teenager who does lots of teenagery things, like having sex for the first time and trying to get into college. Watching Lady Bird is like being a fly on the wall inside the character’s lower-middle-class home. The central conflict is between Lady Bird and her mother, played compellingly …
[7] James Franco directs and co-stars with his brother Dave in The Disaster Artist. the true story of two men of questionable talent who move to Hollywood and spend millions of dollars making one the worst movies ever made, The Room. Franco emerses himself in the role of Tommy Wiseau, a weird, kinda-creepy dude of indiscernable age and heritage. His accent sounds a little European, …
[8] Seven months after the rape and murder of her daughter, a grieving mother challenges her local police department to find the culprit when she advertises on three incendiary billboards. Frances McDormand (Fargo) headlines Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which is being advertised as a comedy featuring fowl-mouthed McDormand chewing the scenery and ripping characters new assholes. And to be fair, that’s definitely part of this movie. …
[6] This is a serendipitous romantic comedy pairing frequent costars Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. Gable plays a reporter who runs away with a press-weary heiress, hoping to snag the headline of the century. But naturally, he falls in love with the dame, which would be complicated enough without being mistaken for spies. Gable and Crawford are having fun and it shows — especially when …
[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] Groucho, Chico, and Harpo (but not Zeppo) provide classic comic relief in a series of vignettes tied together in a loose narrative involving a wayward socialite (Margaret Dumont) and a pair of opera-singing lovers (Kitty Carlisle and Allan Jones). Groucho may be the king of off-handed one-liners, but my favorite is Harpo, who holds the screen without uttering a word. A Night at the …
[5] When an eccentric toymaker dies, he leaves his factory in the hands of his warmongering brother (Michael Gambon). As the company slowly turns into a weapons manufacturer, it’s up to the toymaker’s son (Robin Williams) to set things right. A long-time passion project for director Barry Levinson (Rain Man), Toys is a visually stunning achievement full of bright, bold, imaginitive sets. The soundtrack is also …
[6] For family entertainment, George of the Jungle isn’t too bad. With all the critters and punny humor, it should hold most kids’ interest, but for once I wish a kids’ flick could restrain itself from frequent potty humor. The respectable cast includes Leslie Mann (Mrs. Judd Apatow), charming as always even if she doesn’t have much to sink her teeth into. Thomas Haden Church …
[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 …
[6] An enterprising college business student (John Dye) needs money for tuition fast, so he creates the campus’ first all-male sports calendar, highlighting his high-diving roommate (Steven Lyon). The calendar is a success, but a shady investor and a fashion magazine editor threaten to rock the boat for both students, which in turn puts a strain on their bromance. Campus Man is a cheese-ball of a movie …
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