THE BOUNTY HUNTER is a tedious slog through tidy coincidences starting with the premise. A divorced couple meet again when she, a crack reporter on the trail of a bombshell story, jumps bail and he, the eponymous bounty hunter, is tasked with bringing her in. That’s about 15 minutes worth of good story line. Twenty… Read More »
PLAYING FOR KEEPS
PLAYING FOR KEEPS is a slow drip of a movie that refuses to make up its mind about what it wants to be as it circles the drain. Less than the sum of its parts, it essays the rom-com, the domestic drama, and the heartwarming personal redemption genres all at once, and manages to hit… Read More »
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
Antoine Fuqua has delivered many fine films that deal with the harsh, gritty, and dangerous aspects of the human condition. OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN is not one of them. This story is one of a terrorist attack on the seat of government, but the only real danger presented is killing the audiences will to live by… Read More »
LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE
When the production notes for a non-period film spend more than a paragraph on the costume design, you can be reasonably sure that the creative focus of the project was not optimally aimed at a stellar piece of filmmaking. Hence we learn that the fabric Angelina Jolie’s silver diving ensemble comes from Japan, because that… Read More »
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Joel Schumacher and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA was a match made in cinematic heaven. The key to successfully producing a screen version of THE PHANTOM is creating a visual feast that is on par with the extravagance of the score. Its a sweeping, soaring thing with crescendos that spill over the audience like so… Read More »
300
300 is a remarkable achievement. Of what, exactly, is a subject open to debate. Visually, it is arresting and beautiful in a Grand Guignol way. In fact, speaking strictly in aesthetic terms, it is a masterpiece. Speaking strictly in terms of tone, mood, and dialogue, well, that’s another matter entirely and one that is uneven at best.… Read More »
PS I LOVE YOU
The single biggest problem with PS I LOVE YOU is that all the supporting characters are more interesting than Holly, the main character. This is as much a function of the writing as of the relative talents involved, even though the main character is played by two-time Oscar® winner Hilary Swank. Holly is gawky, maudlin,… Read More »
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
There will not be a better film this year, animated or other, than HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. It’s a rip-snorting story flawlessly animated on every level that seamlessly blends humor, both subtle and broad but never gross, with heart. Lots of heart. Translated from Cressida Cowells novel of the same name, the filmmakers show… Read More »