In 2011 Colin Firth won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “The King’s Speech”, which included many memorable scenes. Now, four years later, Firth stars in “Kingsman: The Secret Service”, director Matthew Vaughn’s follow-up to “X-Men: First Class”. “Kingsman” does provide Firth with the opportunity to appear in, quite possibly, the most memorable […]
I never thought it was possible that an awful trailer for a film could turn out to be better than the actual movie. But, as he seems to do in every film – whether as a wacky character, or in a wild costume, or just with his performance – Johnny Depp has stunned me yet […]
Practically a year to the day after the Ice Cube/Kevin Hart action comedy “Ride Along” opened (becoming 2014’s first box office hit), Hart is back with the romantic comedy “The Wedding Ringer”. He plays Jimmy, the owner of a Best Man service business in which he participates in the weddings of total strangers who don’t […]
“Cake” is quite a departure in the career of star Jennifer Aniston. First of all, it’s a drama. Most of the films Aniston has done have been over-the-top, romantic comedies. And before that, of course, she became a star on the TV sitcom “Friends”. Next, “Cake” deals with difficult subjects: pain, suicide and death. And […]
After seeing 2014’s most controversial and talked-about movie (that almost wasn’t a 2014 movie), the R-rated Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy “The Interview”, it’s clear North Korea’s concerns about the film’s concept and content are justified. It’s uncertain if high-ranking officials or Kim Jong-un have actually seen the film, or if their outrage was simply triggered […]
“The Gambler” is a remake of the 1974 James Caan film. 40 years later, Mark Wahlberg, who holds similar A-list status as Caan did back then, takes on the title role of literature professor by day; high-stakes gambler (and loser) by night. Whether he’s starring in a quality movie (such as last year’s “Lone Survivor”) […]
In September, Chris Rock’s all-star, R-rated comedy “Top Five” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Following the screening, an all-out bidding war began. Nearly every major studio (except, very likely, Disney) wanted distribution rights. Paramount emerged victorious, buying “Top Five” for $12.5 million and adding another $20 million for marketing. Rock’s been everywhere recently […]
“A Most Violent Year” is Oscar-nominated writer/director J.C. Chandor’s follow-up to last year’s Robert Redford “I’m alone in the middle of the ocean and I’m barely going to talk” drama “All Is Lost”. With “A Most Violent Year”, Chandor has paired-up Oscar Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis”) and Jessica Chastain for an intriguing crime drama. The […]
The film that defined Clint Eastwood/Director in the 1990s was “Unforgiven”. In the 2000s, “Million Dollar Baby”, his excellent boxing drama co-starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, likewise earned Eastwood Best Director and Best Picture Oscars. Now, for this current decade, “American Sniper” could very well be the film that takes Eastwood to the pinnacle […]
“Inherent Vice” is writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow-up to 2012’s overrated “The Master”. The only appreciation I had for that film were the performances of stars Joaquin Phoenix and particularly the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The rest was an unfocused and overly complicated mess. That same description can be used to describe “Inherent Vice”, which […]