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 […]
I’ve been going to screenings of The Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films for the past five years and I’ve had the pleasure of watching some truly memorable shorts, including “Wallace & Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death”, “Logorama” (if you’ve never seen it look it up on YouTube), and great entries from Disney, […]
“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 LEGO Movie” is an animated marvel. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) assembled a dream-team voice cast, paired-up with a smart, fresh script, and some of the most incredible CGI wizardry ever put on screen for what might be the best animated film we’ll see all year. Emmet […]
“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 […]