I won’t lie. It’s hard for me to give “The Proposal,” the new romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, a bad review. In fact, it’s not even hard – it’s impossible. We’re not talking Oscars here, by any means, but I think thus far the movie is getting a raw deal from some cantankerous critics. As of this writing, the movie sits at 53% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.com, but I think anyone giving a bad review is a …
Category: Reviews
There used to be a time when sci-fi films delivered more than laser-fueled swashbuckling, aliens and space ships leaping into the stars blow stuff up. When sci-fi functioned in antiseptically spartan environments and focused less on action and more on ideas and man’s place in a scientifically accelerated world. Duncan Jones’ Moon is a tight look back at those films or better yet, a heavily influenced and transportational return to form. Set somewhere in the near but indeterminate future, life …
Better late than never. Just when I think I’d rather take Indian burns to the tenders than endure more of Will Ferrell’s deadpan-obvious doofus shtick, I forgo the pain of a thousand suns and willingly settle into comedic familiarity. Which means A) I’m not as tired of Will Ferrell as I thought, or B) Will Ferrell remains funny despite diminishing returns. After viewing Land of the Lost, I’m convinced it’s “B”. If you didn’t exist in the magical time period …
As it turns out, The Hangover just wasn’t my shot of Jagermeister. At first, I thought was getting old– that my freewheeling and marginally shameful appreciation of frat-tastic humor was giving way to wrinkly, age-spotted prudery. However, about twenty minutes into The Hangover, I realized I wasn’t experiencing a sudden onset of geriatric clucking— I simply realized I was watching the exploits of men who become brash man-children when exposed to additional testosterone, increased blood-alcohol levels and the prospect of …
I have two rules in life. Okay, wait, scratch that. I have more than two rules. I have lots of rules. Stuff like “only kick cats if I see them using my sandbox for a bathroom,” or “sugar-free Red Bull makes even the saddest of days bright,” or “white bread, bologna and lots of mayo is always a good idea” and “it’s okay to not shower on Saturdays and spend the entire day playing Guitar Hero on the XBOX 360.” …
There is a scene in Pixar’s new computer-animated film “Up” where the entire life, from youth to old age, of our grumpy, square-jawed, prune-faced protagonist, Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner), is played out in a matter of minutes. Accompanied by composer Michael Giacchino’s (“Star Trek,” “Ratatouille”) gentle piano-based score, and without any dialogue, we catch a glimpse of Carl’s simple, stress-free and full-of-love life with his childhood sweetheart, Elie, who, at the end of the montage, passes away. It’s a moving …
At this point, noting that Pixar does great work is like noting sunsets are beautiful or water is wet. After 10 years and a series of films which at their worst are very good, redundant praise almost goes without saying. Still, praise can’t be avoided when year after year audiences are treated to stories from not only the best animation studio since Disney’s heyday, but inevitably some of the best films of their respective years. So let me say, I’ll …
McG, aka Joseph McGinty, the director of Terminator Salvation, was recently quoted in Entertainment Weekly saying that with Terminator Salvation, he’s ready to be judged by his work rather than his nickname. Of course, that’s exactly how he’s always been judged, it’s just that Charlie’s Angels, Charlie’s Angel’s 2 and We Are Marshall made his nickname a really easy target. Unfortunately for McG, Terminator Salvation isn’t going to improve anything. With the latest Terminator installment, McG proves he’s a stylist, …
Christian Bale (“The Dark Knight”) gained some undesired press this past winter when an audio clip of him having a nuclear meltdown on the set of “Terminator Salvation” aired on TV, radio and spread to every corner of the web. Meltdowns on movie sets happen all the time, so I’m sure Mr. Bale probably felt like he’d been de-pantsed and punched in the netherregions by the public, who months earlier were lauding him for his performance in “The Dark Knight.” …
Andy at The Movies.com reader Porthos sent over a link to the first-ever review of the upcoming movie “The Road.” The trailer just hit the web and we’ve posted a link here, but Esquire magazine, famous for their sexy and artsy shots of “women we love” and their annual (since 2004) crowing of the “sexiest woman alive,” has seen “The Road” and is calling the October 16th release “the most important movie of the year.” Reviewer Tom Chirella can’t say …