Posted April 02, 2014in Film Review
“Cesar Chavez” 3 stars Rated PG-13 101 minutes Biography Starring: Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson Diego Luna’s second directorial outing is a prudently succinct brief-biopic about the Mexican farm-worker-turned-union-activist responsible for improving working conditions for migrant laborers in America. Timed for the film’s release to coincide with the March
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Posted March 26, 2014in Film Review
“Pulp Fiction” star Samuel L. Jackson delivers his directing debut with a poignant sexy melodrama rooted in 1930’s Moscow, Russia. “Mishkin’s Complaint” pushes the envelope on modern cinema’s trend toward A- and B-list Hollywood actors engaging in full-fledged sex acts onscreen. The result leaves an impression. Jeremy Irons plays Mishkin,
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Posted March 19, 2014in Film Review
“300: Rise of an Empire” 3 stars Rated R 102 minutes Action Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey “300: Rise of an Empire,” of the sword-and-sandal hybrid war franchise based on Frank Miller’s (“Sin City”) graphic novel, fumbles through this superfluous sequel to “300” (2006). Huge sheets of splaying
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Posted March 12, 2014in Film Review
“Le Week-End” 3 stars Rated R 93 minutes Comedy Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan Audiences familiar with screenwriter Hanif Kureishi’s work — reference “My Beautiful Laundrette” and “Sammy and Rosie Get Laid” — will want to seek out the author’s latest collaboration with director Roger Michell (“Venus”). They
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Posted March 05, 2014in Film Review
“Non-Stop” 3 stars Rated PG-13 106 minutes Action Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy Yet another standard-issue thriller — this one starring the ever-watchable Liam Neeson on leading man duties — “Non-Stop” is a perfect guilty pleasure. So what if the plot makes little sense? The purpose of this
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Posted February 26, 2014in Film Review
“Robocop” 2 stars Rated PG-13 108 minutes Action Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton For the long-forgotten historical record, there have already been three Robocop movies — all co-written by Edward Neumeier, who is also a contributor to the latest reboot of the machine-man franchise. The first film was
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Posted February 19, 2014in Film Review
“Winter’s Tale” 2 stars Rated PG-13 118 minutes Drama Starring: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe It’s a testament to Colin Farrell’s ineffable appeal as an actor that his warm-hearted performance keeps the audience awake during producer/screenwriter-turned-director Akiva Goldsman’s otherwise somnolent adaptation of Mark Helprin’s romantic fantasy set in
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Posted February 12, 2014in Film Review
“The Lego Movie” 3 stars Rated PG 110 minutes Animation Starring: Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Berry There’s a strong subtext of socio-political resistance at play in “The Lego Movie.” It may be the first mainstream animated resistance film ever made by a Hollywood studio. Beneath its over-the-top visual mishmash
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Posted February 05, 2014in Film Review
“Labor Day” 1 star Rated PG-13 111 minutes Drama Starring: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith There’s almost a movie — one with serious incest issues — hiding somewhere in writer/director Jason Reitman’s bleary attempted adaptation of Joyce Maynard’s novel. The story revolves around Frank (Josh Brolin), an ex-con who
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Posted January 29, 2014in Film Review
“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” 3 stars Rated PG-13 105 minutes Action Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley For a no-frills spy thriller, Kenneth Branagh directs a respectable rendering of Tom Clancy’s well-worn Jack Ryan superspy character. Still, Branagh is no action-film director, and it shows. Chase-scenes cut away too
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