Most animated movies these days are either sequels, remakes or they have plots very similar to other films. It’s very rare to find a clever, inventive, and surprising animated film. “Gnomeo & Juliet” has all of those qualities, and more. It’s Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo and Juliet” with garden gnomes. Two people live in adjoining houses […]
The original “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” (2008) made nearly $150 million worldwide. I was a bit disappointed by that Disney dog comedy. However, the new Direct-to-DVD sequel has a little more bite. Two of the stars from the original – Jamie Lee Curtis and Drew Barrymore, are not back for this follow-up, but comedian/talk show host […]
The original “Open Season” (2006) is one of the funniest animated films of the past 10-years. And, apparently, I’m not the only one who enjoys the adventures of Boog, the Grizzly Bear and his best friend Elliot, the deer, because two sequels have been made: “Open Season 2” in 2008 and now, “OS3”, which is […]
When I was in LA in the summer of 2009 I visited the Sony Pictures Studios and actually got to see some of the sets that were being built for “The Green Hornet”. If I had known then what I know now I would have told the crews not to bother. This version of “The […]
2009’s “Crazy Heart”, was the story of an old country music singer (played by Jeff Bridges) whose personal problems prevent him from making a successful comeback. “Country Strong” features a similar story, but this time the singer is female. Gwyneth Paltrow as Kelly Canter. She’s a former country superstar whose career ended badly. She has […]
Jack Black starred in two of the best films of 2008 – “Be Kind Rewind” and “Kung Fu Panda”. In 2009 Black was part of the one of the worst film of the year – “Year One”. But last year he hit, quite possibly, a personal all-time low with the incredibly bad “Gulliver’s Travels”. This […]
“True Grit” is the first real western I’ve seen/reviewed and my first Coen Brothers film. It’s based on the classic novel and is a remake of the 1969 film that starred the great John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn. It didn’t get a lot of love from Oscar voters but it’s definitely worth watching, even if […]
You don’t have to be a fan of the old Yogi Bear cartoons to enjoy “Yogi Bear” the movie. In fact, I’m sure most kids have never heard of Yogi or Boo Boo or Ranger Smith or Jellystone Park. Fortunately, most parents do know these characters and the good news is that both adults and […]
Can you make a good sequel of a bad movie? That was the big question in my mind as I prepared to see “TRON: Legacy” when it came out last year. I watched the original a few weeks earlier to get ready for “Legacy”. “TRON” was a groundbreaking film back in 1982, the first movie […]
Six years ago Disney brought the first “The Chronicles of Narnia” movie to theaters and “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was an enormous hit. In 2008, the second film in the series – “Prince Caspian” – was a bit of a disappointment. For this third trip to “Narnia”, Disney was replaced by 20th […]