The Twelve Chairs (1970)
[3] There are a couple of Mel Brooks movies that I kinda like, at least a little bit, but for the most part, I don't get them. The Twelve Chairs is no different. Frank Langella, Ron Moody, and Dom DeLuise…
Footsteps in the Dark (1941)
[6] This light-hearted murder mystery isn't likely to stick in your memory, but should satisfy Errol Flynn fans well enough. Flynn plays an author who writes under a secret identity -- so secret even his wife and mother don't realize…
Never Say Goodbye (1946)
[6] Errol Flynn and Eleanor Parker star as the divorced parents of a seven-year-old girl who is trying to get the two back together again. It may sound cloying, but the film uses its device exclusively for screwball comedic effect.…
Adaptation (2002)
[6] [Warning: This review contains spoilers.] Spike Jonze directs this meta tale of a screenwriter losing his mind trying to adapt a book called The Orchid Thief. While his twin brother moves in and begins mirroring him in many ways,…
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
[7] This film and Top Gun are the ones that really launched the Simpson/Bruckheimer brand of action/comedy that would dominate the box office through the late 80s and 90s. (Even after Simpson's death in '96, Bruckheimer is still a top…
30 Minutes or Less (2011)
[5] Working from a stale script that comes too late in the Tarantino wake, this dark, violent 'who's conning who' comedy is made tolerable by its flavor-of-the-week casting. If you like Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, and Aziz Ansari (like I…
Admission (2013)
[5] A Princeton admissions clerk takes a chance on an 'alternative school' kid when she discovers he may be the child she gave up for adoption many years ago. Despite the intrinsic charm of both Tina Fey and Paul Rudd,…
Crocodile Dundee II (1988)
[5] In the first film, Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan) was a fish out of water in New York. This time around, the action is transported largely to the Australian Outback, with Linda Kozlowski's character being more of the fish. Unfortunately,…
Dick Tracy (1990)
[5] Visually striking but emotionally hollow, Warren Beatty's film version of Chester Gould's comic creation is an underwhelming would-be blockbuster. The only character you can get invested in is Madonna's Breathless Mahoney. Everyone else, including our strong-jawed hero, is as…
Grease (1978)
[6] A handful of fun musical numbers and charismatic performances make Grease an entertaining ride. John Travolta, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway are the ones who really shine. Olivia Newton-John is better when she's singing than when she's acting, but…