Monthly Archives: September 2014

“Good People” is the cinematic equivalent of a page turner, a thriller that leaves no thriller trope unused, no melodramatic stone unturned, no foreshadowing un-shadowed. Heck, it’s even got bad guys driving a Jaguar — just as the TV commercials … Continue reading →

“Believe Me” has cynical, snarky frat boys who think nothing of stealing, drinking and chasing other guys’ girlfriends. It has them conning gullible true believers with a fake Christian charity, mocking the conventions of modern worship and the naivete of … Continue reading →

You don’t have to know Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” to get something out of “Days and Nights,” Christian Camargo’s adaptation of it set in rural New York in the Reagan Era ’80s. But considering how unclear the relationships are, how … Continue reading →

They marched into battle — the oldest were teenagers — in parade order, and charged the enemy like the schoolboys they were. And when the smoke had cleared, there were shoes — sucked off their feet in the mud, torn … Continue reading →

Here’s how you make a movie about Jimi Hendrix without the participation of his fractious/litigious estate. You frame it within a brief window, just when his fame was blossoming. The film opens in 1966, when he was an anonymous side … Continue reading →

The Hungarian World War II film “The Notebook” makes for a grim but utterly fascinating parable, a tale of compassionate, city-bred twins who teach themselves the cruelty they need in order to survive the horrors of war. The pre-teen boys … Continue reading →

Animators may use the same digital computer-assisted palette the world over, but the world is still diverse enough that distinct styles and sensibilities exist outside of the Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks/Sony orbit. “Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart” is a Franco-Belgian production adapted from … Continue reading →

There was a time when the tall, thin brunette Michelle Monaghan walked the catwalks of high fashion, appearing in shows from Milan to Hong Kong and on magazine covers of the late ’90s. But when she transitioned to acting for … Continue reading →

He made a big impression in “Zero Dark Thirty,” and the Venezuelan hunk has dazzled in such films as “Carlos,” built from the German TV series about the infamous terrorist, and in a “Bourne” movie here, a “Wrath of the … Continue reading →

Another big weekend for young adult science fiction, as “The Maze Runner” exceeded expectations and delivered a healthy $30-32 million opening. The folks who released “The Giver” would have killed for that. Indifferent reviews didn’t hurt it any more than … Continue reading →