“The Identical” is a small, Christian-based drama with the most contradictory title of any film this year. In so many ways this movie is unlike any ever made. The set-up is o.k. – a young, married couple living in the South back in the 1930s, decides to give one of their newborn twin boys to […]
It’s ironic, yet hardly surprising that “The November Man” was buried by distributor Relativity Media at the end of August. The best thing that can be said about this effort, based on the 7th book in the “NM” series, “There Are No Spies”, written by late author Bill Granger, is that it’s appropriately titled, because […]
“If I Stay” is the “End of Summer of 2014 Tween/Teen Romantic Tearjerker”. Based on the popular 2009 novel by Gayle Forman, Chloe Grace Moretz (“Kick-Ass”) stars as 17-year-old Mia. She lives with her parents and younger brother Teddy in Portland, Oregon. Mia’s love of music was inherited from her mom and dad, but they […]
I give the team behind the new sports movie, “When the Game Stands Tall” a lot of credit for pulling-off something nearly impossible: they’ve made a film about the most successful high school football team of all-time that’s about as exciting as a 0-0 tie in an NFL exhibition game. “When the Game Stands Tall” […]
At one point in “The Giver”, Meryl Streep tells fellow Oscar winner Jeff Bridges: “When people have the freedom to choose – they choose wrong.” This seems to apply perfectly to the decision that Bob & Harvey Weinstein made to finance this big-screen adaptation of one of the most popular tween books of the last […]
“The Expendables 3” boasts the most star-studded cast of any film this year – from Hollywood heavyweights to an actual welterweight, a sitcom star, a vampire heartthrob, the Governator, and an ex-con who, both in real life and in this backstory, served time for tax evasion. And at the center of it all, once again, […]
“Let’s Be Cops” has one of the most basic, yet original, premises of the year: Two 30-year-old roommates, unsatisfied with their lives and careers, dress-up as cops for a costume party. But the outfits are so authentic-looking (complete with real hand-guns and badges) that everyone thinks they’re actually LAPD. They enjoy the power and attention […]
“The Hundred-Foot Journey” is a smart, sweet and surprisingly delectable end-of-summer romantic dramedy. Executive Producers Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey clearly understood the vision of director Lasse Hallstrom (whose impressive credits include “The Cider House Rules”, “Chocolat” and “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”) and screenwriter Steven Knight (who’s having a fantastic year with indie gem […]
“Into the Storm” is basically a 21st Century “Twister”: Storm chasers go after some of the most dangerous tornadoes on record to get information and capture incredible video, while at the same time trying to protect themselves and those they care about from literally being sucked away into a twister. But like all quality movies […]
A dominating presence in the 90s, revitalized with an animated film in 2007 and a Nickelodeon series beginning in 2012, the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” have come out of their shells once again with this semi-triumphant return to the big screen. On the heels of a fourth “Transformers” and TNT’s “The Last Ship”, The Summer […]