Review: “Labor Day”
Jason Reitman showed an amazing degree of emotional acuity with his first three movies: Thank You for Smoking (2005), Juno (2007), and Up...
Review: “Ride Along”
I heard a radio spot on my drive to the screening for "Ride Along" that spoke quite highly of it, in which it called...
Review: “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”
If I could just get you to affect Ben Kingsley's Mandarin voice from "Iron Man 3" for a moment and repeat following: "The name...
Review: “Lone Survivor”
Last year's "Battleship," directed by Peter Berg, was hands down one of the worst movies of the year. It was a stupid idea based...
Review: “Her”
When it comes to full length directorial efforts, Spike Jonze can do no wrong. With only three previous films under his belt over a...
Review: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
It's hard to watch a movie with a lot of pretense. When you watch one that has really fooled itself into thinking it's something...
Review: “The Wolf of Wall Street”
There's no doubt that Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors to have ever lived. From "Taxi Driver" to "Goodfellas" to 2010's underrated...
Review: “August: Osage County”
Though it may not seem like it at first glance (check out the trailer below), John Wells' screen adaptation of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning...
Review: “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Directors Joel and Ethan Coen are two of the most celebrated filmmakers working today. Their films, even those that fail to reach the lofty...
Review: “American Hustle”
The Scorsese movie that Martin Scorsese never directed, American Hustle is a stylish tour de force for director David O. Russell and its stellar...
Review: “Saving Mr. Banks”
There's no telling how much of "Saving Mr. Banks" is actually true. Just how callous was P.L. Travers? Was Walt Disney really out to...
Review: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
Though it doesn't justify exploding a 300-page children's novel into a trilogy of nearly three-hour movies, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug goes a...
Review: “Out of the Furnace”
It should be said right off the bat that "Out of the Furnace" is not a great movie. In fact, it's relatively typical of...
Review: “Frozen”
It's hard not to love Disney animation. For many decades now, they've captivated the hearts and minds of all ages with sweeping musical numbers,...
Review: “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Last year's smash hit, "The Hunger Games," was of a quality similar to many smash hits in recent years: it was good, but not...
Review: “Thor: The Dark World”
With Phase Two of its master plan for pop culture domination now well under way, Marvel has put itself in a precarious position: The...
Review: “Ender’s Game”
An underwhelming adaptation of Orson Scott Card's cult science fiction novel, Ender's Game is a shiny spectacle with a hollow center, a missed opportunity...
Review: “About Time”
We all wish we could go back in time. Remember that time you said something stupid and hurt someone's feelings? Or that time you...
Review: “12 Years a Slave”
Easily the most powerful, compelling, devastating, and just plain blunt film about slavery ever made, Steve McQueen's adaptation of Solomon Northup's 1853 memoir, 12...
Review: “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa”
Most know what they're getting into when they sit down to watch something with the infamous "Jackass" logo plastered on it: over-the-top and increasingly...
Review: “Carrie”
It may be cinephile blasphemy to suggest it, but Kimberly Peirce's remake of Carrie isn't the worst thing to hit the screen, and at...
Review: “Escape Plan”
For fans of 80s action movies, there's nothing more exciting than the prospect of seeing Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the big screen...
Review: “Captain Phillips”
Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ulitmatum) continues his reign as the master of post-9/11 angst and grit, this time...
Review: “Gravity”
Space is a beautiful thing. It's quiet, serene and you simply can't beat the view. But it's also a dangerous place, where the slightest...
Review: “Rush”
An atypical biopic wrapped in slick formula and sleek visuals, Ron Howard's Rush is the director's meatiest work since "Frost/Nixon". Both films were written...
Review: “Don Jon”
There are certain actors that, as a general rule, don't make bad movies. You can probably find an exception here and there, but for...
Review: “Prisoners”
While I can't speak from firsthand experience, I imagine the greatest fear anyone can have is the potential loss of a child. Nothing must...
Review: “Riddick”
"Riddick" has been one of most surprisingly enduring characters in recent memory. With two full length movies, one animated short and two solid video...
Review: “Getaway”
Despite a filmography that consists of a few stinkers, Ethan Hawke is a daring actor, mainly because he isn't afraid to plant himself in...
Review: “Pacific Rim”
Much hullabaloo has been made about Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim." You have two groups of people: those who are excited for it and...