Film Reviews Archive
Archives | Friday Oct 10, 2008
- 10/02/2008 - Young and restless - How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
- 10/02/2008 - Yee-haw! - FILM: Appaloosa
- 09/25/2008 - Good, but no Miracle - Scenes that meander interrupt the many brilliant ones
- 09/25/2008 - You’ll laugh, you’ll be bummed - Parts of new comedy are very funny, but the underlying story is sad
- 09/18/2008 - Brit is the bomb - The very funny Ricky Gervais makes the jump to the big screen
- 09/18/2008 - Thrills, questions and puzzles - Director Neil LaBute creates a thriller that ask hard questions about the morality of the characters
- 09/11/2008 - Towering achievement - Documentary detailing the infamous crossing of the Twin Towers in 1974 has the tension of a thriller
- 09/11/2008 - Brothers on a roll - Joel and Ethan Coen follow up last year’s Best Picture with a fun screwball comedy
- 09/04/2008 - Survival key to Frozen River - Sundance 2008 Grand Jury Prize winner is no thriller, but a touching story of two mothers’ survival
- 08/28/2008 - Double trouble - Don Cheadle plays a double agent so well we don’t know what side he is traitorous to.
- 08/21/2008 - Where’s the drama? - An all action assault on the senses makes Death Race less of a movie and more of a video game
- 08/21/2008 - Bet on The Longshots - Story of 11-year-old female Pop Warner quarterback is warm and touching without the usual clichés.
- 08/14/2008 - Welcome back witty Woody - New Allen film is funny, amusing and full of romantic locations
- 08/14/2008 - Thunder strike - Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as a self centered actor will hit you like a bolt of lightening
- 08/07/2008 - Top director goes slumming - David Gordon Green tackles the buddy/stoner film successfully
- 08/07/2008 - But did he have hangovers? - Brilliant documentary on the life of Hunter S. Thompson reminds us that nobody really knew him
- 07/31/2008 - Sunny side up - Kevin Costner plays an alcoholic egg inspector … what?
- 07/31/2008 - Just plain dumb fun - The sight of a 10,000-strong terra cotta army marching toward world domination and led by Jet Li rocks
- 07/24/2008 - Wack-ed actors rule - Josh Peck and Ben Kingsley’s risks are rewarded in The Wackness
- 07/24/2008 - Mis-Step - New Will Ferrell film contains violence and language that may seem extreme
- 07/17/2008 - Take a chance on this - Fans of musicals and especially ABBA will enjoy Mamma Mia! Others may not
- 07/17/2008 - Dark Knight shines bright - Director Christopher Nolan is redefining the comic book movie genre
- 07/10/2008 - Take Journey minus 3-D - Imperfect remake of Jules Verne novel may be a more pleasant experience without the 3-D.
- 07/10/2008 - Daddy dearest - Son struggles to connect to dying father
- 07/03/2008 - Where’s the love? - Engrossing true story of British journalist turned guardian to orphans falls short on drama and romance
- 07/03/2008 - Superhero in real life - Will Smith is good as a depressed superhero with lawsuits pending
- 06/26/2008 - Wanted missing vital organs - All action … no heart or mind
- 06/19/2008 - No love for Guru - Important successful movie tip: If you’re going to fill a movie with fart and penis jokes, make them funny
- 06/19/2008 - Carell a Smart choice - Steve Carell is good as the bumbling and unreasonably self-confident secret agent Maxwell Smart.
- 06/12/2008 - Too much thought involved - Summer season is more about explosions and The Happening may be too uneventful for some
- 06/12/2008 - An Incredible bore - Lots of CGI-generated action sequences, but a flimsy story and a one-dimensional hero
- 06/05/2008 - Cute for the kiddies - Otherwise ordinary animation adventure is well drawn with an appealing hero
- 06/05/2008 - Alright already - Adam Sandler’s eagerness to do anything for a laugh will wear you down and win you over
- 05/29/2008 - First-time, not so charming - A little seasoning and a better script will serve The Strangers rookie director well.
- 05/29/2008 - Sex is a disappointment - Gal pals from HBO series scarcely have a witty line between them.
- 05/22/2008 - The Visitor is welcome anytime - Almost perfect film is downgraded only because … well, you’re going to have to read on.
- 05/22/2008 - Same old same old - New Indiana Jones film more than delivers the thrills, spills and deadly insects of the previous adventures
- 05/15/2008 - Solid sequel - Second Narnia film features good action and exciting special effects.
- 05/15/2008 - Rambow has charm - Young actors do well with sweet story
- 05/08/2008 - Psychedelic eye sore - Speed Racer captures all the chintziness, inexpressiveness and incoherence of the 1960s TV show.
- 05/08/2008 - It’s in the stars - Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher are delightful in new romantic comedy.
- 05/01/2008 - Iron Man solid - Robert Downey Jr. and the rest of the cast deliver great performances in new super hero film
- 05/01/2008 - Been there, seen that - New film starring Patrick Dempsey is too similar to My Best Friend’s Wedding
- 04/24/2008 - Grannycore - Young@Heart never skips a beat in fascinating and uplifting documentary
- 04/24/2008 - Oh Baby! - Comic chemistry of SNL alums drives one of the year’s funniest films
- 04/17/2008 - Like a Virgin - The team that brought us 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up delivers another funny film.
- 04/17/2008 - A waste of 88 Minutes - Shameful film squanders Al Pacino’s talent
- 04/10/2008 - Dark cloud hangs over Smart People - Not funny enough to overcome Dennis Quaid’s grumpy professor
- 04/10/2008 - Bad cop, bad movie - Corny lines and corrupt cops have not mixed well since the mid-’80s.
- 04/03/2008 - Light shines brightly on The Rolling Stones - Martin Scorsese’s documentary is a revealing and intimate look at the band’s live show
- 04/03/2008 - Clooney on top of his game - Star/director does it all in screwball romantic comedy
- 03/27/2008 - 21 a bust - You could have more fun at an insurance convention.
- 03/27/2008 - Hollywood no match for reality - Uneven war film suffers in comparison to recent work by real-life soldiers
- 03/20/2008 - Inspiration in a blink of the eye - Story of a French fashion editor, who after a stroke could move only his left eyelid and used it to dictate, one blink at a time, a memoir
- 03/20/2008 - Not quite a wedgie - Although not tormenting, high school bully film is short on story and slightly sanitized
- 03/13/2008 - Brilliantly discomforting - Women and friendship under a tyrannical regime
- 03/13/2008 - Nothing funny about it - Re-make of clinical torture comedy from Austria does not work in English translation.
- 03/06/2008 - Just an average Bank Job - A movie about crime and sleaze and sex, it ought to be a lot more fun.
- 03/06/2008 - Miss Pettigrew - Charming film combines witty writing with great performances.
- 02/28/2008 - Will Ferrell delivers - Hollywood’s hottest funnyman is at the top of his game in this “Guy Flick” that will appeal to all audiences.
- 02/28/2008 - Laughing through the tears - The Savages manages to treat one of life’s delicate moments with sincerity and humor
- 02/21/2008 - Living up to Ferris Bueller - High school therapy film models itself after successful ’80s comedies
- 02/21/2008 - Two views on thriller - Vantage Point is edgy, fun and exciting but not very logical
- 02/14/2008 - No "Maybe" about it - Sweet, funny romantic comedy could be turning point for lead actor
- 02/14/2008 - Don't Jump - Sci-fi adventure is such a mess you may find yourself watching the extras
- 02/07/2008 - Don't be Fool-ed with this flick - Kate, Matt and the ocean look good, but there isn’t much below the surface.
- 01/31/2008 - Ghost film's failures are scary - New comedy has a real problem: it’s not frightening and it’s not funny
- 01/24/2008 - This thriller is worth the ride - Among the weekly haze of violent horror films ‘Untraceable’ stands out as smart and tight
- 01/17/2008 - "Mad Money" not worth much - Some movies can be summed up very simply
- 01/17/2008 - "Blood" on the edge of greatness - Daniel Day-Lewis delivers Oscar-worthy performance as oil monster, but film falls short of perfection
- 01/10/2008 - Roger Ebert's Top 10 films of 2007 - “Juno” in numero uno
- 01/10/2008 - Kick the "Bucket List" - Disappointing effort by director Rob Reiner misses on nearly every level
- 01/03/2008 - Mastering the masterpieces - Young director shows keen ability in adapting great novels to the big screen
- 12/27/2007 - No argument here - Denzel Washington’s new film about an underdog debate team is one of the year’s best films
- 12/20/2007 - Tears of laughter and more - Rock star biopic spoof is funny but has moments of sentiment as well
- 12/13/2007 - Don't ask, just watch - Last man on earth film works despite raising some questions of logic
- 12/13/2007 - Good holiday cheer - Nice family film is fun, but full of clichés
- 12/06/2007 - Controversy turns 'Golden' - Through murky theological waters a fine film emerges
- 12/06/2007 - Dysfunctional wedding crashers - Estranged sisters reconnect at family gathering
- 11/29/2007 - Wide awake - The medical procedures are preposterous, but for me, the suspense worked.
- 11/22/2007 - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - One of the year’s best thrillers — and films
- 11/22/2007 - Miracle on film - Coen Brothers create a masterpiece of character and moral choices
- 11/15/2007 - "Beowulf" is bloody funny - Absurd, bloody violence in the Monty Python spirit
- 11/15/2007 - Wonderful for the young only - Magical toy store is best part of the movie
- 11/08/2007 - Lions' roar is a lot of hot air - Political thriller is bogged down by too much talking
- 11/01/2007 - An 'American Gangster' success story - Notorious drug dealer’s rise and domination of New York drug trade is fascinating
- 10/25/2007 - "Dan's" the man - Sweet, low-key love story is fun for all
- 10/25/2007 - Don't give up on "Lust" - Despite the controversial rating and slow start, there is an interesting film here
- 10/18/2007 - "Darjeeling" has charm - Odd, meandering comedy might not be everyone’s cup of tea
- 10/18/2007 - Back for more blood - Another vampire film arrives just in time for halloween
- 10/11/2007 - Splendor is a pain - This flick is too pretty for its own good
- 10/11/2007 - All rise for "Michael Clayton" - No objections to sleek legal thriller starring George Clooney
- 10/04/2007 - Not for woman only - Don’t call this piece of skilled filmmaking a chick flick
- 09/27/2007 - Love jitters - Kaleidoscope look at love in Portland consists mainly of cream puffs and fluff
- 09/27/2007 - "The Kingdom" rules the lot - New Peter Berg film is head and shoulders above other recent films set in the Middle East
- 09/20/2007 - Out of luck Up-Chuck - Contrived, juvenile mess derails the promise of likeable stars
- 09/13/2007 - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters - A documentary that is beyond strange, about two archenemies and their grim, long-term rivalry to set the world record score in the 1980s arcade game Donkey Kong.
- 09/13/2007 - Billy Bob pulls no punches - Playing Mr. Woodcock as an unrelenting jerk-off works for hardball comedy
- 09/06/2007 - All aboard the western train - Full steam ahead as “3:10 to Yuma” signals the return of the western
- 09/06/2007 - Buckle up for safety - “Shoot ‘Em Up” is an over-the-top action thrill ride
- 08/30/2007 - Save it for a rainy day - Silly pingpong comedy worth a look if you have nothing better to do
- 08/23/2007 - Jackson’s champ no chump - Samuel L. Jackson and Alan Alda turn in excellent performances in “Resurrecting the Champ”
- 08/23/2007 - Worth a hill of beans - For fans of the odd comedian this film will not disappoint
- 08/16/2007 - When ‘Bad’ is very good - Think “Animal House” with heart and maturity
- 08/16/2007 - ‘Invasion’ fails to live up to predecessors - Newest version of “The Body Snatchers” reverts to an action film
- 08/09/2007 - This one time — at dumb camp - “Daddy Day Camp” needs a new pair of actors and jokes
- 08/09/2007 - De Niro is a transvestite pirate — nice! - “Stardust” is funny, but “The Princess Bride” it’s not
- 08/02/2007 - Take another thrill ride - Third version of the ‘Bourne’ series doesn’t lose momentum
- 08/02/2007 - High flying hilarity - Stunt rider wins us over with his drive to be a hero
- 07/26/2007 - Funny is as funny does - Small screen animated humor translates nicely to major motion picture
- 07/26/2007 - ‘Rescue Dawn’s jungle fever - Not an action film, but a sobering journey into the heart of darkness
- 07/19/2007 - I now pronounce you … very disappointing
- 07/19/2007 - ‘Hairspray’ will stick to you - Energy level of star Nikki Blonsky makes for pure fun
- 07/12/2007 - Is Harry heading down the wrong path? - Still interesting, Potter films are darker and less whimsical than earlier in the series
- 07/12/2007 - Cheadle is unbelievable - Oscar-nominated actor reaches a new level of brilliance in ‘Talk to Me’
- 07/05/2007 - Toys are us: affirmative to battling ‘bots - “Transformers” pops out of the box funny and exciting but drags a little
- 06/28/2007 - Yippe-ki-yay, movie-lovers - The action, the humor, the limp are all back ... but slightly muted
- 06/21/2007 - Hotel hell rings a bell - “1408” can’t quite live up to very similar king classic “The Shining”
- 06/21/2007 - Abandon ark! - Sequel to “Bruce Almighty” is truly awful
- 06/14/2007 - ‘Fantastic’ foul-up - Decision to give the sequel “depth” is a mistake
- 06/14/2007 - ‘Drew’ has no clue - Junior sleuth film suffers from bad direction and a senseless storyline
- 06/07/2007 - Penguins riding a wave of popularity - Director’s style and excellent voice work by the vast pays off for newest penguin film
- 06/07/2007 - ‘Ocean’ dries up - Unlucky number 13 signals the end of Soderbergh’s caper film success
- 05/31/2007 - Killer of the year - Kevin Costner’s millionaire serial killer spices up wild film
- 05/31/2007 - A near perfect match - “Knocked Up” successfully combines guy film with chick flick
- 05/24/2007 - Yo ho ho — three successful flicks in a row - Part three of pirate trilogy delivers again with thrills and humor
- 05/24/2007 - Slice of heaven - Order up this cinematic pie-making gem
- 05/17/2007 - Slut wars and more - film examines why we all think we can do a better job with TV
- 05/17/2007 - Third time is no charm - “Shrek’s” newest version lacks the heart and humor of the first two
- 05/10/2007 - When art shouldn't imitate life - Lindsay Lohan’s nice performance as a troubled party girl is uncomfortable
- 05/10/2007 - Do not see this film on a full stomach - Gory, gory, gory remake fails to live up to the original’s appeal
- 05/03/2007 - Gamble pays off - You can mix love and cards
- 05/03/2007 - Two out of three ain’t bad - Third installment of thrilling Spider-Man series falls flat
- 04/26/2007 - An uncomfortable good time - Molly Shannon’s odd dog lover will keep you laughing ... and feeling uneasy
- 04/26/2007 - A lost opportunity - Chance to make a social statement is lost in mindless ending
- 04/19/2007 - This ‘Hoax’ is no joke - Outstanding writing, direction and acting are features of this film
- 04/19/2007 - ‘Fracture’ delivers as an intelligent thriller - Latest Anthony Hopkins succeeds in letting the viewer be the detective
- 04/12/2007 - Updating a classic - "Rear Window" remake hits all the right buttons
- 04/12/2007 - Ms. Oscar tumbles - Like Hillary Swank, Halle Berry is another former best actress winner choosing bad films
- 04/05/2007 - Skip ‘The Reaping’ - Nice performance by the “Million Dollar Baby” can’t save this thriller
- 04/05/2007 - Pure popcorn fun - Double feature is B-film delight
- 03/29/2007 - ‘Glory’ skates on thin ice - New Will Ferrel film never rises above sophomoric playground humor
- 03/08/2007 - A ticket to ride - Adaptation of Fank Miller’s novel is thrilling
- 02/08/2007 - ‘Norbit’ not a bit ... funny - Eddie Murphy and other funny actors are wasted in this juvenile film
- 02/08/2007 - Sympathy for the devil - Lecter loses his fear factor after we learn where he came from
- 02/08/2007 - Cinema for Chocophiles - Rent these with your lover
- 01/25/2007 - This one’s a keeper - Strong cast makes “Catch and Release” worth seeing
