June 2012 Movie Guide

Snow White and The Huntsman - June 1st Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth. Why You Should See It: Hemsworth is fresh off his appearance in Marvel’s The Avengers and Charlize Theron is starring in the forthcoming Prometheus. Why You Should Avoid It: Because Snow White didn’t fare so well in Julia Roberts’ Mirror, Mirror less than two months ago. And the Magic 8 Ball Says:  Game time decision. Prometheus...

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Review: J. Edgar

I had spent the better part of the last two days jousting with Excel Spreadsheets so I was looking forward to catching a flick last night.  There were three readily available options: Men in Black 3 at the cinema, The Woman in Black via On Demand, or my most recent Netflix disc - J. Edgar.  I let my girlfriend choose, because I wasn’t partial to any of those options.  Her choice was J. Edgar, which clearly turned into a “be careful...

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Review: Contraband

There is no beating around the bush.  Contraband was a disappointment, although you can never really be sure what you are going to get when it comes to Mark Wahlberg.  For every hit like The Fighter, The Departed, and The Perfect Storm, there’s a bunch of misses like The Happening, Max Payne, and Planet of the Apes.  Still, with Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, and Kate Beckinsale rounding out the cast, it was hard not to...

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Review: What to Expect When You Are Expecting

I did not want to see What to Expect When You Are Expecting.  No man does and if he says otherwise then he is either lying because his significant other is within earshot or the person he has been dying to go out with, finally said “yes” and in an act of sheer cruelty chose this movie.  So then you may be wondering why I plunked down thirteen hard earned dollars to see this movie.  The simple answer is The Dictator.  A wise...

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May 2012 Editorial: Who's Hot. Who's Not.

As we all know, stars rise almost as quickly as they fall in the revolving door, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world that is Hollywood.  So here’s quick look at which actors and actresses are trending up (Who’s Hot) and down (Who’s Not) with the help of some friends. HOT: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Because he is about to appear in The Dark Knight Rises after some  great performances in 500 Days of Summer and Inception. NOT:...

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Review: Chronicle

As I have mentioned in this space before, I have very mixed feelings about found footage films.  When they work, they are great (Paranormal Activity) and when they don’t, they are epically bad (Project X).  These movies aren’t going away any time soon as studios love the bargain basement cost associated with this brand of filmmaking so I am sure we’ll continue to see this trend spill into other genres.  With the turn of the calendar, 2012...

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Review: The Dictator

I have to preface this review by saying that I have not been a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen. In fact, the only movie that I have seen him in is Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.  I enjoy raunchy humor just as much as the next guy, but there are limits to the depths of lowbrow comedy that I can appreciate before it becomes a series of tasteless stunts.  For this reason, I had chosen to steer clear of Baron Cohen’s work. ...

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Review: The Adjustment Bureau

I remember at the outset of The Adjustment Bureau’s theatrical run, some moviegoers had a negative reaction to the film.  It wasn’t so much about the quality as it was about the movie failing to meet consumer expectations.  Having finally seen it, I now understand why.  I believe this disconnect was directly tied into the theatrical marketing for the film, which in hindsight looks like a  textbook example of the good ole...

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Review: Haywire

What do you do when you cast an incredibly green actress in Gina Carano best known as a Mixed Martial Artist as the lead in your espionage action film?  If you have the clout of a director like Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's 11, Contagion), the answer is to surround her with a highly accomplished cast loaded with players that possess the acting wherewithal to impact a film in limited screen time.  The net result is a film narrative that...

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Review: Drive Angry

It used to be a running joke that no actor could seamlessly go from an Oscar nominated movie to an utter piece of rubbish like Nic Cage.  It felt like he was literally alternating between critical acclaim and public scorn, but when he is good, he is very good.  I guess in a lot of ways, much of what I wrote about Adam Sandler during my Jack and Jill review (which you can read here) applies to Nicolas Cage.  It’s hard not to remember...

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Review: The Big Year

If you were the coach of a football team and you had Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers on your roster, would you suddenly decide to switch their positions and play them all on defense?  Do you think this would be a recipe for success? I think for about 99.9% of the population (that 0.01% for those who have no idea who any of the aforementioned trio are), the answers to both questions would be a resounding NO.  One person you...

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Review: The Avengers

I think when Joss Whedon signed on to direct The Avengers, he knew it would be a juggling act.  The film features three stars from active franchises, one CGI-driven protagonist from a franchise twice rebooted, a bow and arrow wielding lead of the soon-to-be-released Bourne Legacy, a person twice voted sexiest woman alive, and Samuel Jackson who has been in pretty much every movie ever made.  That’s a lot of “material” to cram into two...

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