Review: Looper

No matter how well a movie involving time travel is done, it is inevitably going to have plot holes.  There’s just no way to properly navigate a theoretical construct that defies one’s linear sense of time.  Back to the Future, Frequency, Twelve Monkeys – they are all riddled with such immense inconsistencies that if one were to stop and flesh out those problems, these otherwise entertaining narratives would completely derail.  And...

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Review: Dredd

When last we saw Judge Dredd on the big screen, Sylvester Stallone was wearing the helmet and shield flanked by Diane Lane and Rob Schneider for two hours of glorious campy action circa 1995.  Needless to say, no Oscars were awarded for the performances in that film.  Some seventeen years later, Dredd makes his return to the big screen in a movie best described as an amalgamation of various action plots all rolled up into...

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October 2012 Movie Guide

OCTOBER 5, 2012  TAKEN 2 Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen Why You Should See It: Because Liam Neeson is back as Bryan Mills with his “very particular set of skills.” Why You Should Avoid It: Because the butt-kicking Liam Neeson shtick did not work quiet as well in Unknown and The Grey. And the Magic 8 Ball Says:  A must see movie. PITCH PERFECT Starring: Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth...

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Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Coming of age stories come in all shapes and sizes.  The great ones feel unique and give you the sense that you are privy to an incredibly personal story.  Despite the singular details that set each of these stories apart, there is broad appeal and universality to these types of narratives because they are easily relatable.  The need for self-discovery, rites of passage, and relationship angst are just a few of...

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Review: End of Watch

Ninety percent of all action movies are just different iterations of the cops and robbers narrative.  Whether it is superheroes, spies, or soldiers, the paradigm remains the same - good guys chasing bad.  While it has been a while since I have found a straight-forward, meat and potatoes, boys-in-blue film to be truly entertaining (The Departed), it doesn’t mean this genre within a genre has become completely obsolete.  End...

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Review: Dark Shadows (2012)

Love or hate him, the one thing you can say about Johnny Depp is that he makes interesting choices.  The lineup of characters that he has played is a veritable rogues gallery of the eccentric.  Sure, there is the occasional John Dillinger (Public Enemies) or George Jung (Blow), but more often than not Depp has been covered in wigs, makeup, and outlandish costumes – especially when Tim Burton is involved.  There...

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Review: Hop (2011)

I think it comes as no surprise that Hop is a movie geared towards children.  Wait – let me rephrase that.  Hop is movie made with the intent of getting parents to spend money on their children (as if that isn’t the case for all such movies).  You see, not all live action kids movies are created equally.  Some actually have a plot like The Mighty Ducks, while others are just vehicles to sell tickets, DVDs, and merchandise. ...

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Summer Superlatives 2012

The summer of 2012 has come and gone and like any summer there have been some hits and misses.  No matter how good those hits may have been, the stigma surrounding movies released between the months of May and August will prevent most (if not all) of these films from receiving significant recognition come awards season.  With that in mind, I have put together my list of summer superlatives.  This isn’t a ranking of...

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