THE LAST WITCH HUNTER is a long slog. There are few genuine scares. There are few remarkable special effects. There is, instead, a pervasive and persistent lassitude to this tale of an immortal witch hunter, Kaulder (Vin Diesel), and the complicated relationship he has tracking down the eponymous practitioners of magic. Kaulder is very good… Read More »
9
There will not be a more audacious, more theologically complex film this or any other year than 9. Melding spirituality with science, this animated post-apocalyptic fantasy suffuses the two seemingly opposite disciplines into a rich synthesis that favors the asking of a question over whether or not there is an answer that the asker is… Read More »
LORD OF THE RINGS, THE — THE TWO TOWERS
The first thing you have to know about THE LORD OF THE RINGS THE TWO TOWERS, the second installment of director Peter Jacksons masterful translation of J.R.R. Tolkiens modern classic of mythology, is that you will be lost if you havent seen the first installment, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. The action picks up… Read More »
LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING
Before we get to the business of reviewing LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, let’s take a moment to marvel at the fact that Peter Jackson persuaded a studio, New Line, to give him not only the money, but also the free hand to bring this trilogy to the screen while remaining… Read More »
HAPPY FEET
When it comes to moviedom, penguins are as close as it gets to a sure thing, hit-wise. This is something irresistible about this unlikely bird and the way it’s so easy to anthropomorphize its sturdy waddle and formal wear. To his credit, George Miller, director, co-author, and conceiver of the story as a whole, doesn’t… Read More »