Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

Fifteen minutes into a serious thriller about shooting down Air Force One and kidnapping the president, “Big Game” turns seriously silly. But we’re in the hands of the writer-director of the Finnish “Santa Claus is a monster” movie, “Rare Exports: … Continue reading →

Amy had a bad breakup, probably the latest of many. She’s an artist, so her post-breakup grief is an unusually deep wallow in self-pity. But self-pity, in this case, leads to self-expression. After friends have helped her cope with changes … Continue reading →

“A Little Chaos” is an overlong ditty of a movie, Alan Rickman’s amusingly fanciful version of how a famous outdoor ballroom in the gardens of Versailles came to be. He directed and co-stars with his “Sense and Sensibility” love interest, … Continue reading →

“Jurassic World” is headed towards another weekend over $100 million at the U.S. box office, and appears set to clear $400 million (domestically) in just ten days. That, coupled with the staggering foreign box office numbers, means Hell yeah we’re … Continue reading →

“Burying the Ex” is a horror comedy that never frightens and rarely amuses. It’s a zombie breakup movie whose best joke might be its all-the-description-you-need title. Horror shop clerk Max (Anton Yelchin of the revived “Star Trek”) has this shrill … Continue reading →

In talking with Alan Rickman about directing and co-starring in the 17th century period piece “A Little Chaos,” the subject of his Harry Potter work came up. It always does, though in this case, it was within the context of … Continue reading →

It’s not the laughs that tell us Pixar has returned to form with its latest offering, “Inside Out.” It’s the heart. Here’s a children’s cartoon that deals with emotions, from temper tantrums to sadness spirals. It teaches kids, with animation … Continue reading →

“Gabriel” is a moody, intimate character study filmed and performed in shades of grey. It’s about a mentally ill young man desperate to use his first hours after getting out of an institution to make his life right. Not that … Continue reading →

The teen hides comic books inside a book of Shakespeare’s plays. His favorite stories concern a superhero, The Phantom Halo. But Dad doesn’t approve. When he’s sober, he quotes Shakespeare. He does that when he’s drunk, too. So Sam, played … Continue reading →

The Savage Nomads, Black Spades, Harlem Turks, Screaming Phantoms, Golden Guineas — these were “the armies of the night,” as an iconic 1970s film described them. Block by block, they controlled much of New York, especially the South Bronx, nicknamed … Continue reading →