Woody Allen’s latest is a mixed bag. It combines classic whimsy with gorgeous Continental scenery (many of his most recent films have been shot on location in Europe), typically Allenesque neurotic characters and a genuine interest in promoting romance and […]
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The Watch (2012) ☆
There are films, and then there are movies. The Watch is definitely a movie, and not a very good one. The initial distinction involves seriousness of subject or purpose, though there are movies that are quite serious, or at least seriously […]
Continue reading »People Like Us (2012) ☆ ☆ ☆
Often one movie’s premise will remind me of another’s, and such is the case with the unusual family drama People Like Us, in which someone discovers, upon the death of a parent, that he has a grown sibling, in this […]
Continue reading »Brave (2012) ☆ ☆ ☆
It has taken Pixar a dozen movies before the wildly successful animation company has finally employed a female protagonist. This 12 – 1 ratio may be reflective of the industry in general, though it is probably still low; in other […]
Continue reading »Prometheus (2012) ☆ ☆ ☆
I’ve delayed reviewing Prometheus for a week or so, hoping that time would deepen my perspective of it. My quandary is that while I absolutely applaud it as intelligent science-fiction (which has become ever more rare these days), I actually did […]
Continue reading »Moonrise Kingdom (2012) ☆ ☆ 1/2
As a general rule I enjoy quirky, different movies like Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom because their originalities put typical Hollywood product to shame in terms of quality and impact. That is again true in this case, though I must admit that […]
Continue reading »Passed Away (1992) ☆ ☆ ☆
Comedies about death often impart a great deal of wisdom about life, and Passed Away (1992) is no exception. It’s a rather formulaic tale about the chaos that ensues when family patriarch Jack Warden suffers a fatal heart attack. Warden’s widow […]
Continue reading »A Soldier’s Story (1984) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
The better murder mysteries offer unique settings, character depth and meaning beyond their particular crime cases. That is certainly true of Norman Jewison’s movie A Soldier’s Story (1984), adapted by Charles Fuller from his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Its story […]
Continue reading »Capricorn One (1978) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
The premise of the action-drama Capricorn One (1978) is one I actually find repugnant, since I am a fervent advocate for human space exploration. Yet such is the power of writer-director Peter Hyams’ concept — that a manned mission to […]
Continue reading »Take the Money and Run (1969) ☆ ☆ ☆
For my money, one of the funniest films Woody Allen ever made is the crime parody Take the Money and Run (1969), which combines a sappy love story between bungling career criminal Allen and lovely laundress Janet Margolin, great gags […]
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