ENDERS GAME presents the viewer with just the sort of philosophical conundrum posed in the film itself. What to do with a film that is a refreshingly intelligent, morally challenging tale , but based on a novel by Orson Scott Card, a man whose views on gay rights are repugnant? It is perhaps jejune to… Read More »
THOR: THE DARK WORLD
In THOR: THE DARK WORLD, there may be no suspense about how the latest nefarious plot to destroy the universe will turn out, but there are plenty of clever tricks along the way courtesy of the real star of the film, Thors trickster brother, Loki. Not that Thor, once again in the toothsome person of… Read More »
THE HOBBIT — THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG is the best middle film that money and talent can produce. This is not an indictment, it is, rather, an embrace of the inherent problem of the second of three filmic installments, viz to wit, if you havent seen the first one, there is little even the most resourceful… Read More »
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
There are perhaps more reasons to NOT do a remake of a classic film than reasons to do so, yet THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is that rare and delightful example of why its only perhaps, not always. It is also a bold re-imagining of both the short story by James Thurber, and the… Read More »
47 RONIN
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 »
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