Kevin Costner has a long history with sports movies. He made “Bull Durham” and “Field of Dreams” back-to-back in the late 80s, took a swing at golf with “Tin Cup” in the mid-90s, and returned to baseball “For the Love of the Game” at the end of that decade. 2014 marks Costner’s return to the […]
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 […]
“Out of the Furnace” is an unconventional, gritty drama from director Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”). Christian Bale is very good as Russell, a steel mill worker in rural Braddock, Pennsylvania whose brother Rodney (played by Casey Affleck) is about to serve his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. A fatal DWI accident sends Russell to […]
In “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa”, star Johnny Knoxville doesn’t attempt daredevil stunts with his buds as he did on the TV show and in previous film installments (including 2010’s highly-successful “Jackass 3D”). Instead, Knoxville is “Bad Grandpa” – 86 year-old Irving Zisman. There’s a ridiculous and irrelevant plot, involving Irving having to take his 8-year-old […]
Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman was marketed as the star of “Prisoners”. Jackman plays the father of one of two abducted children in this mystery/crime/thriller. But it’s Jake Gyllenhaal who receives most of the screen time as the intense, straight-forward detective in charge of solving the case and saving the kids. “Prisoners” immediately grabs you, […]
“In a World…” was the iconic opening line spoken by late movie trailer voice-over pioneer Don LaFontaine. Actress Lake Bell (“No Strings Attached”, “It’s Complicated”) uses that piece of dialogue as the basis for her feature film directorial debut of the same name. She also wrote the screenplay (a winner at Sundance) and stars in […]
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 […]
“Elysium” is writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to his 2009 Best Picture Academy Award nominee “District 9”. He teams-up again with that film’s breakout star, Sharlto Copley, who joins Oscar winners Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in yet another of 2013’s movies in which Earth is no longer a great place to live. Let’s spin the […]
“The Way, Way Back” marks the directorial debut of the Oscar-winning writing team of “The Descendants” – Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. The two also co-wrote this screenplay and have small roles in the film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. While it’s not nearly as compelling as the 2011 George […]
Earlier this year the very funny (but unfortunate box office bomb) “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” took a comedic look at the world of Magic. Surprise box office hit “Now You See Me” uses magic as a backdrop for a crime caper. In the long opening sequence (seriously – it takes about 20 minutes before the […]