“Let’s Be Cops” has one of the most basic, yet original, premises of the year: Two 30-year-old roommates, unsatisfied with their lives and careers, dress-up as cops for a costume party. But the outfits are so authentic-looking (complete with real hand-guns and badges) that everyone thinks they’re actually LAPD. They enjoy the power and attention […]
What if you were kidnapped by a group of suited men with guns and had a powerful and valuable drug surgically implanted in your stomach? And what if this led to you becoming the most intelligent person in the history of the world? I’m not sure mankind would be ready for it, something Oscar-winner Morgan […]
Four-time Golden Globe nominee Cameron Diaz is on quite a roll. “Sex Tape” is her seventh movie in a row that’s either a critical or financial bust, or both. In Jason Segel’s case, fresh-off the finale of the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother”, this is a low point in his big screen career […]
Along with dozens of others, I was inspired to become a film critic by Roger Ebert. One day, back in 2005, I saw an episode of “Ebert and Roeper” and was amazed that someone could actually give their straight-forward and honest opinions about movies on a TV show. Almost instantly, I knew that was what […]
Director Richard Linklater’s films, including “The School of Rock”, “Bernie”, “A Scanner Darkly” and the “Before” trilogy, have satisfied audiences with their attention to authentic human situations and emotional truths. His latest, “Boyhood”, is an ambitious project shot over 12 years (with a budget of $2.4 million, or just $200,000/year), with the same narrative and […]
Melissa McCarthy received a surprise Oscar nomination for her over-the-top comedic performance in 2011’s “Bridesmaids”. Since then, her status as one of Hollywood’s top funny ladies has been taken quite seriously, with roles in hits such as “Identity Thief” and “The Heat”, as well as her starring role on the CBS sitcom “Mike & Molly”. […]
“Obvious Child” is an indie romantic comedy first showcased at this year’s South by Southwest and Sundance Film Festivals. Jenny Slate, who spent a season (’09-’10) on “Saturday Night Live”, stars in this adaptation of a short film she and director Gillian Robespierre made back in 2009. The plot of “Obvious Child” is very straightforward. […]
Clint Eastwood, one of the most-respected actors and directors of his generation, has been in front of and behind the camera for some of the most influential movies of the last half-century. Now he takes centerstage by adding a Broadway musical adaptation to his incredible resume. While not as sensational as the Great White Way […]
“The Rover” is director David Michod’s follow-up to 2010’s “Animal Kingdom”, for which Jacki Weaver (“Silver Linings Playbook”) received an Oscar nomination. This grizzly crime drama debuted last month at the Cannes Film Festival, with praise galore for actors Guy Pearce and “Twilight”‘s Robert Pattinson. Their performances are the best thing about “The Rover”, which […]
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill teamed-up two years ago for the big screen revival of the 80s TV series “21 Jump Street”, which featured loads of action, laughs, and even a Johnny Depp cameo. That film was so successful that directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who began 2014 with “The LEGO Movie”) decided to […]