“Ted” was “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane’s first feature film, co-writing and directing the tale of a foul-mouthed teddy bear who comes to life. Saying the film was a success is an understatement, so it’s no surprise that – 3 years later – we have “Ted 2”. What is surprising is that this sequel is […]
The indie drama “Dope” was one of the darlings of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Open Road, best known for distributing the animated comedy “The Nut Job” and the excellent Jake Ghyllenhaal thriller “Nightcrawler”, won the multi-studio bidding war. Writer/director Rick Famuyiwa (“Our Family Wedding”) collaborated with the powerhouse production team of Pharrell Williams, Sean […]
Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out” is director Pete Docter’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Up”, which featured the most emotional opening scene in Pixar history. “Inside Out” is all about our emotions, and while I laughed at times, this film also desperately wants you to cry, but falls short in achieving that reaction. It’s good, but far from […]
In 1993, four little words, an iconic John Williams score and some mind-blowing visuals changed cinema forever, as the late Richard Attenborough welcomed us to Jurassic Park. Now, 22 years later, original director Steven Spielberg hands the reigns of the “dinos on the loose” franchise over to Colin Trevorrow for “Jurassic World”, which covers similar […]
“Bridesmaids” and “The Heat” director Paul Feig has returned for a third go-around with the Academy Award nominated star of those blockbuster comedies – Melissa McCarthy. “Spy” is a slick, sophisticated, very solid action comedy. McCarthy is CIA analyst Susan Cooper. For years, Cooper has been the voice inside the earpiece of suave secret agent […]
“Jerry Maguire” writer/director Cameron Crowe returns to the genre that elevated him to stardom: the romantic dramedy. “Aloha” boasts one of the most impressive casts of the year, and isn’t nearly as emotionally manipulative as Crowe’s last film, 2011’s “We Bought a Zoo” with Matt Damon. But with a dialogue-heavy script that runs around in […]
Over the last 10 years, Dwayne Johnson has starred in nearly 20 movies. The former WWE wrestler turned mega media star with that million dollar-smile is out to save the day once again – this time from the mother of all earthquakes in “San Andreas”. Johnson plays Ray, Chief of the Los Angeles Fire & […]
The latest sci-fi adventure from “The Incredibles” director Brad Bird is Disney’s “Tomorrowland”, which is very loosely based on the theme park attraction. Outside of a brief and flat-out awful narration tactic at the start of the film, star George Clooney is missing for the first 45 minutes. His Frank Walker character is introduced to […]
“Pitch Perfect” only made $65 million back in 2012, but a cult “Girl Power” following along with the growth in popularity of stars Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson helped convince Universal that they were A Ca-ready for “Pitch Perfect 2”. Elizabeth Banks, who reprises her role as A Cappella competition co-commentator Gail, also directs this […]
Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon and “Modern Family”‘s Sofia Vergara team-up for the action comedy “Hot Pursuit”. It’s such a cliche considering the title, but this really is one hot mess. Witherspoon, complete with an annoying southern accent, plays Cooper, a Texas police officer. She’s a plucky, non-stop talker who hasn’t been out in the […]