Credit where its due. For all its faults, 47 RONIN doesnt Hollywood-up the traditional ending to the legend that inspired both it and the several other treatments filmed over the years. It also, in those final moments, finds a sweeping, bittersweet poetry that had been missing in the rest of the film. Not that it… 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 »
GODZILLA
The big guy is back, and better than ever. Certainly better than the dreary 1999 version. Its a testament to GODZILLA, the monster and the franchise, that both are robust enough for another incarnation. Set in the present, its a nod to its original, right down to a cute Japanese boy in a baseball cap,… Read More »
EDGE OF TOMORROW
THE EDGE OF TOMORROW is everything a cracking good action/adventure/sci-fi film should be. Fluidly directed, ferociously acted, and intelligently written, it even takes the time to consider such lofty issues as the ennui of immortality and the nature of reality as it blows up nifty monsters from outer space. Blows them up real good. Its… Read More »
MALEFICENT
There is an old saw about movies that goes, “Dont tell, show” and, alas, MALEFICENT has gotten that backwards. wtih an incessant, distracting, and otherwise unhelpful narration. Its an unfortunate irony in that the film seeks to inform us of the other side of the Sleeping Beauty story, that of the evil fairy who cursed a… Read More »
TRANSFORMERS — AGE OF EXTINCTION
Perhaps Michael Bay was worried that this might be the last Transformers movie ever, hence the extinction in the title, and, further hence, being the reason that he packed the running time with even more than usual of his trademark pyrotechnics, hyperbolic action sequences, and the wanton destruction of a noodle shop. Then again, Mr,… Read More »
THE MAZE RUNNER
THE MAZERUNNER, based on the best-selling young-adult novel by James Dashner, makes a satisfying transition to the big screen. If some of the characters are a bit underwritten, never fear, there is a sequel built in to the storytelling with the promise of more depth. As for the film at hand, its thumping good adventure… Read More »
THE CORE
Somewhere in THE CORE there is a neat-o flick trying to get out. Unfortunately, its stymied by cliché characters and a series of hackneyed action-adventure plot points that all but kill any joy we might have found in the otherwise fun concept and occasional burst of crisp dialogue. The premise is that the Earths outer core,… Read More »
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE
There is a moment in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, one of many actually, that tells you that this is no ordinary sci-fi flick. Michael Rennie as the alien visitor Klaatu has gone undercover in a Washington D.C. boarding house in order to learn more about the Earthlings hes been sent to contact. He… Read More »
SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS
Dreamworks has taken a novel approach to their latest animated film, SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS. The studio has done an homage not just to adventure films from the 1950s, but more specifically, to the B adventure films from that era. Not that that’s a bad thing, they were fun in a kitschy way,… Read More »
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