Monthly Archives: February 2015

The striking desert around Joshua Tree National Monument inspired U-2 to title an album after it and his friends to take the body of singer Gram Parsons there to cremate him. But it’s the uninspired setting for “3 Nights in … Continue reading →

Mark Hamill is guarded, a little hesitant to talk. “I want to be very careful here, because I have no interest in getting back in the spotlight,” he says. “I’m enjoying my ‘elderly recluse’ years.” He’s joking, of course. Because … Continue reading →

“Jupiter Ascending” got the beat-down it so richly deserved among critics — eye candy without much of consequence, and much that is unintentionally funny. BOOM. Wachowskis? Done. “Seventh Son” is a classic early Feb. action picture — sword and sorcery … Continue reading →

The only question that’s worth considering in “Seventh Son” is whether this all-star B-movie is bad enough to cost Julianne Moore her “Still Alice” Oscar. And the answer to that is, “Not really.” A sword-and-sorcery epic built around Jeff Bridges, … Continue reading →

The myth of Cenk “Young Turk” Uygur gets a serious burnishing in “Mad as Hell,” a cheerfully angry and yet upbeat documentary about the creator and host of online’s “Young Turks” Youtube show. Uygur’s journey, from Turkey to America, from … Continue reading →

The Wachowskis cash their last blank check from Warner Brothers with “Jupiter Ascending,” an excruciatingly empty chunk of eye candy that spends over two hours trying to convince us they’re not ripping off “Dune.” It’s “Dune” without the desert, all … Continue reading →

“Outcast” is what happens when stunt men direct. The fights are marvelously choreographed, the swordplay splendid and the bloody body count high in director Nicholas Powell’s Middle East/Far East quest tale. The script? Derivative, dim and dull. The performances? Not … Continue reading →

A lovely new ballet is followed from creation to rehearsals to opening night in “Ballet 422,” a documentary that celebrates the rising star that is choreographer/dancer Justin Peck. It’s an intimate movie, with the camera so close it’s as if … Continue reading →

A good screen romance frustrates us, throws up comical or tragic obstacles that keep the lovers apart, and then provides a lovely release when those obstacles are surmounted. But “Love, Rosie” overdoes that. It would be a maddening experience thanks … Continue reading →