Monthly Archives: May 2014

Jon Favreau makes “Iron Man” movies and crummy blockbuster comedies. What’s he doing getting his cooking chops down and stepping in front of the camera, and behind it, for “Chef,” a mouth-watering culinary wish fulfillment fantasy?Take this script, which he … Continue reading →

If nothing else, the scope of the story of the West Memphis\Robin Hood Hills murders should have given “Devil’s Knot” director Atom Egoyan pause. A 1993 tragedy compounded by a laughably incompetent police investigation and the efforts of the cops, … Continue reading →

“Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return” is a harmless but almost charmless adaptation of a book by L. Frank Baum’s grandson. It’s a derivative hash of grandpa’s story, set in the present day, given forgettable new tunes by pop songsmiths such … Continue reading →

He’s an actor’s actor, the very best that American film has ever produced, by some estimations. Including mine. I can name his bad performances on one finger (science fiction movie, Earth doomed, guess). Robert Duvall does a turn in “A … Continue reading →

Faith-based films have have become downright commonplace this year. But faith-based comedies? Comedies that work? That’s still a very short historical list — the George Burns blockbuster “Oh God,” and Andy Griffith’s “Angel in my Pocket” are the only two … Continue reading →

“Neighbors” is an “Animal House” for “The Hangover” era, a frat boy comedy that pushes the rude and raunchy envelope into daring and dirty new territory. Hilariously coarse, reasonably shrewd and clumsily sentimental, there’s no reason it won’t earn a … Continue reading →

Sports agents, as “Jerry Maguire” taught us, make their mark by finding value where others don’t see it.That’s the hook to “Million Dollar Arm,” a Disney movie about a real-life agent — J.B. Bernstein — who decides the answer to … Continue reading →

Jon Favreau looks the part, is behind the camera for this cooking comedy with Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett J., Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Canavale and Oliver Platt as a food critic. “Chef” goes into limited release this weekend, wider later … Continue reading →

It would have been too much to expect Jerome Sable’s “Stage Fright” to live up to its positively giddy first 15 minutes. But sooner or later, the gore was coming to the fore of this blend of backstage musical, and … Continue reading →

James McAvoy wallows in it in his new film, “Filth.” He embraces the sexual depravity, the drug and alcohol abuse, the bullying, vile language, racism and rank sexism of being a Scottish cop on the loose. “There’s nooo place like … Continue reading →