Monthly Archives: January 2014

Paramount did itself no favors by showing “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” to a few New York and LA and trade publication critics in advance, and stiffing the rest of us with screenings after deadline. The first wave of reviews — … Continue reading →

The dog knows. The dog always knows in movies about the Devil, because there’s the scent of Satan in the air. Maverick, a Setter, knows that something’s up with Samantha’s mysterious, post-honeymoon in Santo Domingo pregnancy. Her OB-GYN may not … Continue reading →

Well, “All is Lost” plainly didn’t make enough money and have enough legs to give Robert Redford his last legitimate shot at a best actor Oscar. Bummer. His audience is as old as he is, and that wasn’t a help. … Continue reading →

Tom Clancy’s C.I.A. analyst-hero Jack Ryan returns to the screen in a workmanlike if unoriginal and uninspiring reboot — “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.”Hardcore fans of espionage thrillers will recognize it as on a par with the least of the Jason … Continue reading →

A little Kevin Hart goes a long way in “Ride Along,” a dull buddy picture engineered as a vehicle for the mini motor mouth and the perma-sneering Ice Cube.It’s mismatched cops on patrol in Atlanta in this “48 Hours/Bad Boys/Showtime/The … Continue reading →

Here are your Golden Raspberry (Razzie) nominations for the calendar year 2013. As I have mentioned elsewhere, it was a banner year for not just good movies, but really bad ones as well. I used to vote in this “contest,” … Continue reading →

If you’re going to make cartoons about critters, the late  Chuck “Looney Toons” Jones used to preach, build them around the animal’s chief concern — survival. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are always avoiding the shotgun and the stew pot. … Continue reading →

He got his start in the films of his pal Neil LaBute, has had better than a decade of stardom, but still hasn’t had that marquee hit that would ensure his bankability as a movie star. Aaron Eckhart was Harvey … Continue reading →