X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
[4] Wolverine is one of my least favorite X-Men characters, so maybe this movie just isn't for me. That said, Hugh Jackman and most of the cast do pretty good jobs with what little they have to work with. The…
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
[6] This is certainly the most action-packed of the X-Men movies, but it's also the most disrespectful and emotionally hollow. There are some great set pieces, including the free-for-all at Jean Grey's childhood home, the Golden Gate bridge raising, and…
X-Men (2000)
[7] It's amazing how good a superhero movie can be when you treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) was the perfect choice to direct this movie, and he chose a brilliant ensemble cast. Hugh…
The Kings of Summer (2013)
[7] Three teenaged boys run away from home and build a house in the woods where they live off the land, experiment with facial hair, and let a pretty young girl come between them. The boys are played with plenty…
Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
[8] This 2002 classic, period-piece rendition of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby is sweet, sentimental, and beautifully executed. I personally found it irresistible. Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim) is perfectly cast as Nicholas, a young man who discovers his…
Cruising (1980)
[8] Al Pacino plays a New York police detective who goes deep under cover within the city's S&M community to catch a serial killer preying on gay men. Director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) stirred controversy for his…
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
[6] Another installment in the Marvel movie franchise is never going to excite me. But if you want to be distracted for a while, Captain America: The Winter Soldier isn't bad. The plot centers around conspiracy, betrayal, and assassination --…
Hulk (2003)
[3] With two-time Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi) at the helm, and a cast that includes Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Nick Nolte, and Sam Elliott, you should reasonably expect a much better movie than Hulk turns…
Free Fall (2013)
[7] A police cadet (Hanno Koffler) nervously begins an affair with a fellow officer-in-training (Max Riemelt), throwing his marriage into disarray and inviting scorn from both his family and the police force. Gay dramas tend to be didactic and end…
Tangled (2010)
[8]
Disney’s 50th feature-length animated movie is their best in many years. Tangled recaptures the charm, humor, and spirit of the studio’s second renaissance, the late 80s/early 90s period that saw such hits as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Quite simply, I laughed and I cried, thoroughly engaged with the characters and the storytelling. And when I thought I had Tangled figured out, it gave me a couple of twists and some welcome sophistication. Touche, John Lasseter, touche.