Monthly Archives: January 2013

Can a single tone-deaf, wince-inducing joke, even one that’s repeated, kill a movie? No. Not a good film. But a marginal one that has trouble finding its tone? Let’s just say wisecracks about spouse abuse don’t help.

Dreamworks Animation president Jeffrey Katzenberg recently lamented the dearth of holiday-themed movies headed to your multiplex this year. But in foisting “Rise of the Guardians” upon unsuspecting audiences for the holidays, it’s clear he just wanted some cover. Other holiday … Continue reading →

That classic “creature feature” “The Thing” earns its third treatment with a film that’s so enthralled with its actual “thing” that it forgets to be scary or suspenseful. A decent cast and a pristine glacial setting are wasted on a … Continue reading →

Four years and four films into “The Twilight Saga,” Robert Pattinson can see the finish line for the role that made him famous. With the release of  the last half of “Breaking Dawn,” he knows that the whirlwind surrounding him … Continue reading →

Gina Carano is the 29 year-old daughter of a former backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and a cheerleader-pretty mom. And those two ends of the gene pool have been having a knock-down drag-out fight in her from the get … Continue reading →

What a relief. “Ghost Rider” is a joke — a monumentally foolish comic book movie with lots of unintentional laughs, mixed in with the intentional ones.

Of all the bad horror/fantasy/sci-fi/action pictures Nic Cage has cranked out over the last decade, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” is the Nic Cagiest. A goofy, gonzo thrill ride, “Vengeance” is a bad movie sequel so bad it’s good, a … Continue reading →

Pitiless, puerile, pointless and perfunctory — and those are just the “P’s” — “Underworld Awakening” was brought into this world to revamp the vampire franchise ad to prove Kate Beckinsale can still wear the spandex, the leather bustier, the werewolf-kicking … Continue reading →

“The Vow” is like a Nicholas Sparks novel with a dash of wit, a hint of edge and a smidge less sap. It’s a romance in “The Notebook” tradition — “inspired by true events” and scripted by committee. But as … Continue reading →