The late James Gandolfini shines in the romantic comedy “Enough Said”, which is the next-to-last film of his outstanding career and one that belongs near the top of his acting credits. Gandolfini stars as Albert opposite Julia-Louis Dreyfus’s Eva. They are both divorced, middle-aged parents of daughters who will soon be heading off to college. […]
I’d probably seen the second trailer for “Captain Phillips” 50 times before the film’s release. That’s no exaggeration. Every scene, every line was engraved in my mind. It’s too bad the trailer gives away far too much, but that’s true of practically all of them. In the case of “Captain Phillips”, since it is based […]
When I saw the first trailer for “Gravity”, I knew this was going to be one of the movie events of 2013: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts in trouble in space, along with some amazing visuals. And the film doesn’t disappoint. “Gravity” is a heart-pounding adventure, set in a unique location. Bullock’s Ryan […]
Most critics have destroyed “Getaway”. And I’ll admit that it is one of those films that’s cheesy, way over-the-top, with logic taking a back seat to the action. But if you go along for the ride, as I did, it can also be a whole lot of fun. Ethan Hawke stars as former racecar driver […]
Tween girls, Rejoice! Yet another romantic action/fantasy book series that you so adore has made its way to the big screen. Following this year’s “Beautiful Creatures”, “The Host” (and Part 2 of the “Percy Jackson” series) comes “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”, the film version of book 1 of what will eventually be a […]
“Paranoia” is perfect example of a film that deserved to be buried at the end of August. While Relativity Media bounced-back a bit with “Don Juan” and “Free Birds”, I’m not sure if the studio will be able to recover from this misstep. Much of the reported $35 million budget likely went to co-stars Harrison […]
“Jobs” is not a complete biography of one of the most influential icons of the modern age of technology. Instead, the film focuses on a slice of Apple founder Steve Jobs’ life and career. The movie begins with Jobs introducing the IPod at the 2001 Apple town meeting. Director Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote”) then […]
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is an impressive and effective film, inspired by a true story. As a young boy in the 1920’s Cecil Gaines grew up on a cotton plantation, the son of a slave, who is shot to death by his owner. Cecil is then taken in by the elder, female owner (Vanessa Redgrave), […]
Woody Allen’s latest dramedy, “Blue Jasmine”, is not as magical or charming as his 2011 Oscar winner “Midnight in Paris”. However, it’s a major improvement from 2012’s bland romantic disappointment “To Rome with Love”. And it’s just another example of why Allen’s late-career films are much better when he’s behind the camera and not in […]
I see several documentaries each year: Nature films, concert-docs, profiles of famous and sometimes not-so-famous people. Normally one or two stand-out above the rest. One of my top 10 films of 2012 was “Searching for Sugar Man”, which went on to win numerous awards, including the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. I am confident to say […]