Monthly Archives: January 2013

Take “Independence Day” and “Skyline” or pretty much any aliens-invade-L.A. thriller. Strip it of Will Smith and any one-liners the heroes might snap off upon killing a space invader. What you’ve got is “Battle: Los Angeles,” a straight-no-chaser war movie … Continue reading →

“Country Strong” is a little like modern country music — odd moments of sincerity, heart and authenticity peek through the plastic, the hype and the manufactured hokum. Moving once or twice, maudlin and mawkish the rest of the time, this … Continue reading →

Discuss This: Comments Off | Add to del.icio.us | Digg it Too cute, too star-studded and entirely too long, “How Do You Know” is a jocks’ romance that offers more proof that James L. Brooks has lost his fastball.  The … Continue reading →

“Little Fockers” is possibly the last and certainly the least among the trio of comedies about the power struggle between a nebbishy male nurse and his menacing, control-freak father-in-law. It’s a desultory, patchwork affair — competently made, comfortably played, but … Continue reading →

There are two movies titled “Casino Jack,” and both are about the infamous lobbyist, DC double-dealer and scandal magnet Jack Abramoff. And truthfully, you don’t need to see them both. If you saw Alex Gibney’s “Casino Jack and the United … Continue reading →

Ron Howard’s “The Dilemma” presents the viewer with one. Is it OK to laugh at what was plainly intended as a semi-serious relationship dramedy? Because the best scenes in this Vince Vaughn/Kevin James buddy picture, where one buddy’s wife is … Continue reading →

“John Dies at the End” is a horror-comedy that scores more points for trippiness than it does for truth in title advertising. Before it trips over its own overly complex plot, before the comic leads have exhausted their modestly amusing … Continue reading →

It’s “The Zombie Twilight.” Teen romance set after the zombie apocalypse, where the few remaining humans (Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Annaleigh Tipton, right) hold out against the brain-eaters. A zombie falls for a human. Mayhem ensues. Only unlike in “Twilight,” … Continue reading →

Old musicians – they have the best insults. “Your singing brought tears…to my ears.” “I can’t forget you in ‘Carmen.’ But I’ll try.” The retired musicians at Britain’s Beecham House may not have the cash or relatives to ensure they … Continue reading →