Monthly Archives: July 2013

Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 novel “Strangers on a Train” has proven to have one of filmdom’s most enduring plots. It’s the “You kill somebody I want dead and I’ll kill somebody you want dead and the cops will never be the … Continue reading →

At some point, every danged movie this summer’s got to have a robot. Or something in a metal suit. That’s my main rub against “The Wolverine,” which cruises along on some splendid brooding, guilt, action beats and Japanese settings (Ninjas … Continue reading →

With heist pictures, there’s such a thing as giving away the store, explaining too much. That’s what happens with the gritty British thriller “Wasteland,” which is about some very young lads who set out to avenge themselves on a local … Continue reading →

We may never see this as a movie, but MGM and Sylvester Stallone have let some money change hands with the director and star of “Fruitvale Station,” lining up director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan for “Creed,” about … Continue reading →

It’s an OMFG samurai sword and sorcery picture, coming out in December. And Keanu Reeves stars in it, a “half-breed” and “outcast” who joins an intrepid gang of leaderless/masterless samurai (Ronin) to “save our land.”

This summer cinema season has seen enough epic flops to cause Hollywood to rethink how it does business. Or at least, it’s caused The Hollywood Reporter to say Hollywood is rethinking its business model. “White House Down” lost its shirt … Continue reading →

“To be, or not”…let’s make it “To slash, or not to slash.” Because this latest X-Men movie is a lot more existential than recent installments in this comic book series have been. “The Wolverine” is nothing if not ambitious — … Continue reading →

Origin stories, even non-fiction ones, often make good movies, showing us “How the West was Won” or how demonic possession entered pop culture, pre-“Exorcist” and Amityville (“The Conjuring”). “Drift” is about the birth of the Australian surfing scene and the … Continue reading →

So many “lose my virginity over the summer” comedies, from “American Pie” to “Superbad,” “Can’t Hardly Wait” to “Girl Next Door.” But aside from the hilarious “Twilight Saga,” how many have told that torrid tale from the girl’s point of … Continue reading →