Category Archives: previews

In case you missed it, it’s George Takei’s America. We’re just living in it. And getting his autograph. The man owns the Internet, through his wry Facebook memes and comical commentary on issues from gay rights to sci-fi omnipresence. On … Continue reading →

“When the Game Stands Tall” is a solid if unsurprising and uninspiring melodrama built around high school football, faith-based but “Friday Night Lite.” It’s the latest of that peculiar sub genre of sports films, where filmmakers bend over backwards to … Continue reading →

“Sin City” is back in all its lurid, gory glory, a vivid and visceral graphic novel come to life in the capable hands of Robert Rodriguez and co-director and comic book creator Frank Miller. If anything, it’s a more gorgeous … Continue reading →

I guess it was looking over the box office take of “Boyhood,” the most acclaimed film of the summer and certainly independent cinema’s darling of the year, that prompted this perusal of the box office tallies of the offbeat. Summer … Continue reading →

“Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner takes his act to the big screen with “Are You Here?” which turns out to be the most quotable Owen Wilson comedy since “Zoolander.” It’s a bit all over the place, a stoner comedy with … Continue reading →

Summer’s spent, cinematically. So it’s time to tally up the take, pat a few folks on the back and pass the buck of blame around Hollywood for the cinema season that was The sequels showed up in droves, and some … Continue reading →

Antonio Banderas pretty much steals “The Expendables 3.” But at this stage in that winded franchise, that amounts to petty theft. Adding the chatty, animated and action-friendly Banderas and Wesley Snipes as new “Expendables” and Mel Gibson as an arms-dealing … Continue reading →

Zach loved Beth — past tense. But his girlfriend put in her earbuds, trekked off up into the hills, and…something happened. Because we meet Zach (Dane DeHaan) after her funeral. He’s in shock. His parents (Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser) are … Continue reading →

It took decades of biting, testy collaborations and the better part of two road-trip movies, but Rob Brydon finally makes his pal/sparring partner Steve Coogan crack up, laughing, in “The Trip to Italy.” The formula of “The Trip” is repeated … Continue reading →

I’m not sure how this romantic emphasis on the life and work of Stephen Hawking jibes with the truth. His love life, for those who have read of it, has been pretty complicated and messy. But Eddie Redmayne,  Felicity Jones … Continue reading →