The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

[6] Intentionally bizarre and overwrought, I'm not sure what to make of this adaptation of John Irving's novel about an extended, eccentric family that moves into a down-trodden hotel. I liked a previous Irving adaptation, The World According to Garp,…
Matinee (1992)

Matinee (1992)

[7] John Goodman stars as a schlock filmmaker previewing his latest atomic horror flick during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The script by Charlie Haas draws clunky parallels between the real life threat of nuclear destruction and the…
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)

Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)

[4] Richard Linklater writes and directs Everybody Wants Some!! as sort of a follow-up to his own Dazed and Confused. It's the early '80s and a group of college baseball players live together in a couple of houses off-campus. The…
A Serious Man (2009)

A Serious Man (2009)

[4] The Coen Brothers run hot and cold with me. Sometimes I get them, sometimes I don't. This is one of the times that I don't, and I can only figure it's because the comedy is too subdued and the…
The Raven (1963)

The Raven (1963)

[7] After success with House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, and Tales of Terror, Roger Corman further exploited Edgar Allan Poe's name with The Raven. But this time, the film bears little resemblance to Poe's story. Instead, legendary sci-fi…
The Banger Sisters (2002)

The Banger Sisters (2002)

[6] My main takeaway from The Banger Sisters is this: Damn, Goldie Hawn is awesome. She shares the top billing with Susan Sarandon here, but it's really Goldie's movie, and she carries it superbly. The film is about old friends…
The Odd Couple (1968)

The Odd Couple (1968)

[7] Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau give career-highlight performances as mismatched roommates Felix and Oscar in this comedy based on the Neil Simon play. Everyone knows the gist of the story: two men, one neat and one sloppy, are forced…
State of the Union (1948)

State of the Union (1948)

[6] Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn star in a Frank Capra movie about the political and personal tolls of running for president of the United States. Van Johnson and Margaret Hamilton are fun in supporting roles. Angela Lansbury is nice…
The Muppets (2011)

The Muppets (2011)

[7] I can't imagine a harder franchise to revive than The Muppets. They're so innocent, so low-fi, so much a product of the 70s and 80s... is it possible for them to garner new fans, or are kids today just…
Playing for Keeps (1986)

Playing for Keeps (1986)

[4] Miramax moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein directed and co-wrote this uninspired teen comedy about three high school graduates who transform a dilapidated bed & breakfast into a hip & happening getaway for young people. It's like leftovers from half…