[6] The third Evil Dead film gets a bigger budget and a more traditional plot, but the polish and structure don’t compensate for low-budget invention and madcap inspiration. Bruce Campbell is prime here, delivering a smattering of memorable lines and a few good scenes of physical comedy as a department store employee whisked back in time to 1300 AD where he must battle an army …
[6] As the sequel to an almost perfect film, Back to the Future: Part II naturally comes up short. While it lacks the heart and coherence of the first film, it’s wild with ideas and invention, both on screen and behind the scenes. The plot is twisted, thrusting Doc Brown and Marty into the year 2015, then to an apocalyptic alter-1985, and finally back to …
[8] Pineapple Express is Quentin Tarantino meets Cheech and Chong, a hyperviolent action flick crashed into a buddy comedy. The mish-mash may be an acquired taste, but it’s a winning combination for me. Seth Rogen and James Franco carry this movie to victory as a process server and pot dealer on the run from a hitman (Gary Cole) and a crooked cop (Rosie Perez). Rogen …
[4] A maudlin pseudo-documentary about a socially awkward girl’s quest for true love. Um, gag? Charlyne Yi, adorable in her weird Knocked Up cameo, is tediously boring here. The concept for this movie is confounding — part of it is Yi interviewing people (badly) about love, and part of it is about her real-life relationship with actor Michael Cera. But some of their scenes are …
[8] A boy growing up in 1940’s middle-America tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder B.B. gun for Christmas. It’s hard to judge a movie that has become a holiday tradition. Growing up, I don’t think a single Christmas went by where I didn’t watch A Christmas Story at least one or two times. Seeing it again recently, it has lost …
[6] A bunch of teenagers rally to save their music store from being taken over by a corporate chain. Empire Records takes place almost entirely inside its namesake and features an ensemble of talented young actors, including Liv Tyler, Robin Tunney, and Renee Zellweger. It’s a good cast all around, but my favorite is Ethan Embry, who exhibits a goofy charm in his asides to …
[8] You know how people often say such-and-such actor “lights up the screen?” Well, that phrase was made for Audrey Hepburn, because that’s what she does in Blake Edwards’ adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As Holly Golightly, she plays a woman trying to reinvent herself by marrying rich. George Peppard plays an up-and-coming writer who can’t help but fall in love with …
[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 …
[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 …
[8] Dustin Hoffman plays Ben Braddock, an aimless college graduate who stumbles into an affair with the older Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) before falling in love with a girl his own age… Mrs. Robinson’s daughter. The Graduate was groundbreaking for its provocative subject matter and sophisticated approach to comedy. Mike Nichols’ elegant, inventive direction earned him an Oscar, while Hoffman and Bancroft were nominated for …
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