THE MASTER **1/2 There’s a great scene in Milos Forman’s 1984 Oscar winner Amadeus when Mozart (Tom Hulce) tries to convince Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones) to allow him to […]
Film Reviews
Posted inArts, Entertainment & Film
Reviewed: ‘Argo,’ ‘Here Comes the Boom,’ ‘Taken 2’
ARGO ***1/2 How dedicated is director Ben Affleck to capturing 1979 in his splendid new film, the political thriller Argo? He makes sure that the Warner Bros. studio logo […]
Posted inArts, Entertainment & Film
Reviews: Looper, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania
LOOPER *** The pretzel-twisted thriller Looper may not take us back to the future as satisfyingly as director Robert Zemeckis’ Marty McFly trilogy or James Cameron’s Terminator franchise, but writer-director […]
Posted inArts, Entertainment & Film
A review: ‘Compliance’
COMPLIANCE *** One of the most deeply disturbing movies of recent vintage, Compliance opens with the words “Inspired By True Events,” a declaration that should always be taken with a […]
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A review: ‘Trouble With the Curve’
TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE **1/2 Following the worst performance of his career – his co-starring role opposite an empty chair at the recent Republican National Convention (the Oscar campaign is […]
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The Intouchables, The Cold Light of Day, Finding Nemo
THE INTOUCHABLES **1/2 In these United States of America, it may be all about The Avengers and Avatar and Armageddon, but in the rest of the world, where subtitles aren’t […]
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Beasts of the Southern Wild
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD ***1/2 Fully aware of the blasphemous nature of this statement, I nevertheless will go on record as acknowledging that I’ve always felt John Carpenter was […]
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Premium Rush, Your Sister’s Sister, The Expendables 2
PREMIUM RUSH ***1/2 Even if Premium Rush hadn’t had me at “Hello,” it certainly would have had me at “Forrest J Ackerman.” A movie built around a bicycle messenger is […]
Posted inArts, Entertainment & Film
‘ParaNorman’
PARANORMAN *** The stop-motion animated feature ParaNorman arrives courtesy of the same production company (Laika Entertainment) responsible for Coraline and Corpse Bride, so parents had best not take their small […]
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Reviewed: ‘The Campaign,’ ‘The Bourne Legacy,’ ‘Hope Springs’
THE CAMPAIGN *** Merlin, Harry Potter and the Great and Powerful Oz – should we add Jay Roach’s name to this list of legendary wizards? After all, genuine magic must […]
Posted inArts, Entertainment & Film
Reviewed: ‘Total Recall’
TOTAL RECALL (2012) *1/2 For those who don’t keep up with the show-biz trades, there are several notable remakes in the works, all promising to offer different takes on established […]
Posted inArts, Entertainment & Film
Reviewed: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES ***1/2 To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of Batman’s death are greatly exaggerated. I’m not referring to the fate of the character in The Dark Knight […]