Monthly Archives: January 2014

Ralph Fiennes brings the many colors and contradictions of the writer Charles Dickens to glorious life in “The Invisible Woman,” a melancholy biography about Dickens’ affair with a much younger woman while at the height of his fame. Period perfect, … Continue reading →

“Life of a King” is a warm and likable “make a difference” melodrama about an ex-con who teaches inner city kids about how chess can change your life. Like “The Butler,” it’s a reminder that no, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Oscar … Continue reading →

The new year has barely begun, but we’ll be hard pressed to find a movie as disturbing — on many levels — as the darkly comic Israeli thriller “Big Bad Wolves.” It’s about the torture of an accused child molester-serial … Continue reading →

Oscar has been doing all in his power these past few years to limit the impact of the less legit but more entertaining Golden Globes on the Academy Awards. Move the Oscars up and back, change nominations date, add to … Continue reading →

Folks with Dwayne Johnson’s new “Hercules” feature have got to be sweating things a bit over the low turnout for the no-name “Legend of Hercules” that opened in fourth place this weekend. On the one hand, nobody saw it, so … Continue reading →

Nobody but nobody expected the all-guys, bloody and downbeat combat picture “Lone Survivor” to do over $25 million this weekend. But it’s headed towards a $37 million opening (wide), according to deadline.com. Saturday will be the most telling day, but … Continue reading →

Almost certainly. Well, almost. Decent (not rapturous) reviews for “Lone Survivor,” which opened in a couple of markets over Christmas, should help Mark Wahlberg climb back up that January mountain (he’s had a movie in January every year since “Contraband” … Continue reading →

It’s “Clash of the Titans,” pretty much without Titans, a “Gladiator” with nobody to root for and a “Samson” without a proper “Delilah.” At times, with its stiff, charisma-impaired cast, its digital sets and slo-mo slaughter, “The Legend of Hercules” … Continue reading →