Tom Hanks rarely makes indies. Instead, he usually headlines compelling biopics, gripping action/adventures and animated blockbusters. So the low-budget, German-produced drama “A Hologram for the King”, based on a 2012 novel by Dave Eggers, is definitely a change of pace for one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. But even THE Tom Hanks […]
“Criminal” is your textbook “Popcorn Movie”. The cast includes big names: Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman and even Ryan Reynolds in a small role. It’s action-packed with plenty of violence – and some unexpected bloodshed. There are elements of danger, suspense, weird science and a hint of mystery. “Criminal” doesn’t break any new […]
Jake Gyllenhaal has delivered a recent string of impressive performances in “Prisoners” (2013), “Nightcrawler” (2014) and “Southpaw” (2015). “Demolition” is another great vehicle for him, but overall, the film is not as strong director Jean-Marc Vallee’s past two efforts. His 2013 drama “Dallas Buyers Club” earned Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto Oscars, and his 2014 […]
Melissa McCarthy has proven she can deliver plenty of laughs, both on TV and the big screen. But a pattern is starting to emerge when it comes to her movie projects: With McCarthy’s most successful films (“Bridesmaids”, “St. Vincent”, “Spy”), she and husband Ben Falcone were NOT the screenwriters, and Falcone wasn’t behind the camera […]
“Hardcore Henry” has a unique hook: this relentless, incredibly violent, sci-fi action extravaganza was shot almost entirely with GoPro cameras, and told completely from the first-person perspective of Henry – a half-man, half-machine. Much like “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Hardcore Henry” relies heavily on wild, zany chaos and incredible stunts. And while I wasn’t a […]
Recent biopics that dissected the lives of popular musicians and groups, including James Brown, Frankie Valli, Brian Wilson and N.W.A., all had some bold and powerful statements to make. The main problem with “I Saw the Light”, which chronicles the brief but amazing career of Hank Williams, is that it fails to give the country […]
Relationships are complicated. In “Hello, My Name is Doris”, Sally Field stars as the title sixty-something-year-old single woman who sports a wig extension, wears up to two pairs of glasses at once, and is clearly the oldest employee at her longtime NYC office job. Doris is mourning the recent death of her mother, and her […]
For 18-35 year-old comic book, superhero, Marvel, “X-Men” and diehard Ryan Reynolds fans – “Deadpool” will likely be your movie of the year. The makers clearly set-out to make the ultimate R-rated “anti-superhero movie” superhero movie, packed with ultra-violence, raunchy humor and an unlikable lead character. And in that respect, they succeeded brilliantly. But for […]
Well, congratulations to “Dirty Grandpa” – which is the first Worst Movie of 2016. And it could hold on to that title for awhile. This film is rude, crude, offensive and wrong in so many ways – but that’s not the reason “Dirty Grandpa” is a spectacular failure. “Ted 2” was all those things and […]
The eighth film directed by The King of Big Screen Blood, Mr. Quentin Tarantino, is appropriately titled “The Hateful Eight”. Like “Django Unchained” (his 2012 western for which he won an Original Screenplay Oscar), “The Hateful Eight” is about two hours and 45 minutes long, though this time Tarantino adds an intermission – as part […]