Monthly Archives: December 2013

As Nelson Mandela, Idris Elba towers over the rest of the cast in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” That’s literally true and perfectly accurate. Mandela was tall, as is Elba (of the “Thor” movies and “Takers”). And Elba manages both … Continue reading →

King of quirky Spike Jonze sets out in search of the profound in his profoundly simply sci-fi romance “Her.” A “How I Met Your OS (operating system)” comedy, “Her” is a search for the essence of what we really want … Continue reading →

The blow-dried hair, the polyester suits and ’70s-style political incorrectness and facial hair are back in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” The buffoonery goes epic in this sillier than silly sequel, a broad, down and dirty comedy overfilled with funny … Continue reading →

Check out those teeth! Jonah Hill had to literally put on his “game face” to co-star with Leo DiCaprio in Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street.” He plays the odd, ambitious stock hustler with the prominent veneers and the never-say-die loyalty … Continue reading →

The blowback from last year’s underwhelming, over-long and tedious “Hobbit” installment — and maybe the whole greedy, aesthetically unjustifiable decision to turn a slim adventure fantasy into three movies — is showing up at the box office. “An Unexpected Journey” … Continue reading →

It is, by most accounts (especially mine) a superior movie to “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” But “The Desolation of Smaug” is tracking lower, with expectations reduced for its blockbuster opening weekend. It won’t, Box Office Mojo declares, match the … Continue reading →

It was time of wide ties and velvet suits, jangly jewelry, open shirts, big hair and boat-sized cars. After Watergate, cynicism was everybody’s default mode. The economy was in the toilet, disco was on the radio and everybody was corrupt. … Continue reading →

Tyler Perry made his fortune by pandering to a predominantly African American audience. So a tip of the Santa hat for him trying to broaden his appeal by pandering to a white one with “A Madea Christmas,” his most integrated … Continue reading →