Monthly Archives: January 2013

“Mama” breaks a lot of horror movie rules, right off the proverbial bat. It gives us a long back-story opening, and brings up much more back story as the tale progresses. It over-explains. It reveals its supernatural menace, not just … Continue reading →

In “The Last Stand,” Ahhh-nuld parties like it’s 1989. Or tries to. This is retro “Raw Deal” era Schwarzenegger, a modern day Western with the aging action hero as the sheriff dead set on stopping the army of an escaped … Continue reading →

Aura is 22, fresh out of college with a degree in film theory and no direction, no sense of how to “get started” on life, career, etc. She’s just been dumped by her college beau, and she’s moved back to … Continue reading →

Ivan Reitman — whose directing career (“Ghostbusters”) is so long in the tooth that he actually has a son, Jason, directing Oscar-worthy comedies — has his best outing in decades with “No Strings Attached,” an amusing flip of the “friends … Continue reading →

It doesn’t take four minutes for “Rio” to set itself apart from all the “Ice Age” movies the animators at Blue Sky  made before it.  A rain forest filled with parrots, macaws, cockatoos and toucans sing and dance the samba … Continue reading →

They’re making a jihadist video, these “Four Lions,” posing in front of a jihadist flag, making their threats and promises of destruction of the “Jews” and “imperialists” and uh, “slags.” They’re Brits, OK? And they’re not doing well with the … Continue reading →

“Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is either a spirited revival of the film franchise based on the C.S. Lewis children’s Narnia novels, or an entertaining and emotionally satisfying coda to “The Chronicles of Narnia.” In the able care of veteran … Continue reading →

The German director of the sublime, subtle and chilling surveillance thriller “The Lives of Others:” might not have been the best choice for tackling the dressy and daft spy romance, “The Tourist.” But even if Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck lacked … Continue reading →

“Voluptuous” doesn’t quite do the Gemma Arterton justice. It leaves out her voluminous hair, her perma-pout and those eyes so dark no cinematographer seems able to coax color from them. And “overripe” seems a tad mean. No sense mincing around … Continue reading →

Acting for the silver screen doesn’t get more raw, moving or accomplished than what you see in “The Fighter,” that rare film in which every performer in it leaves the viewer in awe. The quartet at its heart — Christian … Continue reading →