Film Reviews
Category“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”: The elf rides again…and again
In the very first shot of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, director Peter Jackson is seen emerging from a Bree tavern, eating a ca..
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” Gets SQUEEE! Stars Out of Ten
It’s hard to think of another time I’ve been so relieved walking out of a movie theater. Book-to-movie adaptations are hard, and a ser..
“Gravity”: You’ve Never Seen Anything Like It
Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity makes you realize just how few space movies are really about space. It’s not George Lucas’s job, or Gene Roddenbe..
“Salinger”: Is Shane Salerno a Phony?
I was a tween when I read Catcher in the Rye; I lay down on my grandma’s couch and read the novel from beginning to end, almost withou..
“Short Term 12”: Trauma Too Tidy
Even as Sigmund Freud recedes to a footnote in psychology textbooks, he’s as influential as ever among screenwriters, who have adopted..
Ten Easy Ways “Elysium” Could Have Sucked Less
Have non-white protagonists. The premise of Elysium is racially charged, with citizens of a predominantly Latino future Los Angeles tryi..
“Pacific Rim”: Disaster Porn That Arouses All the Senses
When the Internet first whispered the words Pacific Rim to me, it was around ComicCon time last year. Then the Internet started scream..
Reasons William Shakespeare Would Like Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing
That I don’t trust Joss Whedon as a director is of course not at all the point. His nerd cred, for lack of a less annoying term, firml..
“The Bling Ring”: It’s No Lifetime Original, But It’s Not Bad
At the Bling Ring advance screening I attended, press members were given samples of Sofia Mini wine, possibly because the presenters suspe..
“Man of Steel” Lives Up To Its Name: Really Heavy, Really Boring
Somewhere near the end of Man of Steel, my girlfriend leaned over and whispered to me, “I can’t believe this movie isn’t over yet.” Neithe..
Zack Snyder Defies Expectations: “Man of Steel” Doesn’t Suck
I was worried about Man of Steel. The most obscenely over-powered superhero of all time as presented by Zack Snyder, maker of the offe..
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” Is Fine, But It’s Still No “Galaxy Quest”
Recently Kumail Nanjiani tweeted that the best Star Trek film was Galaxy Quest. I laughed at that because it’s a funny joke, but after..