Yearly Archives: 2016

“The Brothers Grimsby” is 83 minutes of excruciating, nauseating, boundary-pushing “comedy” that never for a second feels like it’s anything but visual evidence of the end of Sacha Baron Cohen’s comic leading-man career. And in a lame buddy picture, to … Continue reading →

It now being an established fact that these “Divergent” movies are a terrible, hackwork embarrassment to science fiction, YA films and action cinema in general, the time has come to fret over their real impact. Have they broken Shailene Woodley? … Continue reading →

A movie must stand on it own legs. If it must be explained by its filmmakers or propped up by our vivid, fill-in-the-missing-parts memories of a book, play or previous film it is based on, then somebody has fallen down … Continue reading →

As faith-based films go, “Miracles from Heaven” is a bit of a soft-sell. Faith is present and the faithful are tested — by bad fortune, by the medical establishment, by their fellow churchgoers. But when good things happen to a … Continue reading →

“Take Me to the River” is a quietly disturbing slice of Southern Gothic that isn’t Southern at all. It’s a Nebraska-California culture clash/sexual abuse story confined and contained in a single family, on a family farm over a reunion/birthday celebration … Continue reading →

The rise and fall of cyclist Lance Armstrong earns a brisk and surprisingly nuanced treatment from director Stephen Frears in “The Program.” The veteran Frears, of “The Queen”, “The Grifters,” “High Fidelity” and “Philomena,” finds the good and bad in … Continue reading →

It’s got the always-funny Sam Rockwell and Jemaine Clement, Will Forte and Danny McBride in it. And the can-be-funny Amy Ryan and Leslie Bibb show up in support. The team behind “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” wrote and filmed it. … Continue reading →

Christian believers can take comfort in the fact that Hollywood hasn’t forgotten how to make old fashioned Biblical epics. Starting with “The Nativity Story” a few years back, and continuing through this year’s surprising “Risen,” studios have been able to … Continue reading →

Once more, dear friends, to “Cloverfield” we go. Another trip into monster-movie land. Another blast of J.J. Abrams hype. Another movie floated to us in an attempted sea of secrecy. Does it live up to the brand, the hype, the … Continue reading →

Exotic India! Well, HERE’s a place to set a horror story! A new place, a new sort of story! It’s all RIGHT THERE on “The Other Side of the Door.” Only it isn’t. Here’s another dead child story with the … Continue reading →