Liam Neeson has become one of the top action stars of the 21st Century. With the “Taken” and “Titans” franchises, along with about a dozen other action/mystery/thriller hits (including the voice of the Good Cop/Bad Cop in “The LEGO Movie”), Neeson is someone we always root for as he attempts to save the day and […]
“Pompeii” is exactly what I expected it to be: a disaster film that truly is a disaster. The popular Bastille song of the same name is much more upbeat than this mindless action/romance/drama. But it does offer one comparison: if you close your eyes, you will be demolished by a crumbling arena and volcanic ash. […]
2014 has been promoted as the Comeback Year of Kevin Costner. January’s “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” was enjoyable, but it made no impression at the box office. Costner’s first of two sports dramas, “Draft Day”, was solid and he’s got another one coming: “McFarland” (Nov. 21). But the action/thriller/dramedy, “3 Days to Kill”, is one […]
“Winter’s Tale” is the feature film directorial debut of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who penned the 2001 Best Picture winner “A Beautiful Mind”. The stars of that film: Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly, join Colin Farrell in this romantic fantasy, adapted from a 30-year-old book. It’s no wonder that every frame of this film […]
1987’s “RoboCop” re-defined the sci-fi/action genre, with Peter Weller starring as the Detroit detective who became a half man/half machine anti-crime hero. Two sequels followed in the 90s, and now director Jose Padilha (“Elite Squad”) brings this story back to life with a slightly updated remake. The problem is, since practically every man-machine concept movie […]
“The Monuments Men” was originally one of the frontrunners for this past Awards Season, with 2-time Oscar winner George Clooney serving as star, director, co-writer and co-producer of the WWII drama. Sony gave it a prime December 18th release date, in hopes of bouncing back from the underwhelming Awards Season play of Clooney’s previous directorial […]
Based on the novel by Joyce Maynard, “Labor Day” is a romantic, suspense drama written and directed by Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”). It’s a tricky film to analyze and appreciate because, while it has several strong qualities, there are many critical flaws. Fortunately, the performances and emotional impact outweigh some absolutely ridiculous plot […]
“Ride Along” is the first box office smash of 2014 thanks to the appeal of its two stars: rapper turned actor Ice Cube and comedian Kevin Hart. The two play-off each other nicely in this solid, but not hysterical buddy-cop action comedy. The all-too-simple premise features Cube as veteran Atlanta PD detective James Payton. His […]
It’s Alive, and it’s Awful. “I, Frankenstein” is the perfect example of a “let’s bury it in January” film. From the cheesy visuals, to the lifeless performances, to some of the weirdest action sequences ever put on screen, this truly is a horror movie, as in “horr-ific”. Written and directed by Stuart Beattie (who’s contributed […]
The original Jack Ryan movies, beginning with 1990’s “The Hunt for Red October”, were both box office and critical successes, and are still considered to be some of the best spy/action films of the past 25 years. Now “Star Trek”‘s Chris Pine begins steering the ship of another reboot franchise with “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”, […]