I finally caught up to the 165-minute drama Boyhood a couple of days before the Academy Awards, and even after seeing the well-intentioned but rather dull film I still thought it would win Best Picture because of the obstacles overcome in […]
Continue reading »Category: Recent Releases
Black or White (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
One actor who rarely seems to get his due is Kevin Costner. His career was derailed by the excesses of Waterworld and The Postman, and despite stellar work in titles like Thirteen Days and The Upside of Anger, his popularity has never […]
Continue reading »The Boy Next Door (2015) ☆ ☆
As popular as Jennifer Lopez is as a singer and music video star, she is still trying to establish herself in the movies. Her best films are at least a decade old (Selena, Out of Sight, Shall We Dance?), while […]
Continue reading »Still Alice (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆
Few feature films have dealt with a main character struggling with incipient Alzheimer’s disease, which is probably why Still Alice feels fresh, resonant and timely. It is a meaningful drama with a heartbreaking premise, anchored by a graceful, nuanced performance by […]
Continue reading »American Sniper (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆
No recent film has generated so much buzz, or controversy, as Clint Eastwood’s paean to today’s military soldier, American Sniper. Based on the book written by its subject, Chris Kyle, Eastwood’s movie does a nice job of representing why someone […]
Continue reading »A Most Violent Year (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆
I don’t know what J. C. Chandor’s impetus was to make A Most Violent Year — it’s not one of those movie ideas that instantly grabs one’s attention — but the result is an engrossing study of a couple (Oscar Isaac, […]
Continue reading »Taken 3 (2014) ☆ ☆
No one expected the adventures of Bryan Mills to endure into two movies, much less three. But French writer-producer Luc Besson’s vision of a rugged, confident, middle-aged man with a particular set of skills not only made Taken (2008) a huge […]
Continue reading »Cake (2014) ☆ ☆ ☆
Although Jennifer Aniston is one of the most recognized television and movie stars in the world, she is still trying to persuade people she can act. That should not be necessary considering her wide range of parts since “Friends” concluded, […]
Continue reading »Blackhat (2015) ☆ 1/2
Blackhat is a timely exploration of terrifying cyber-terrorism, headed by a rising star and directed by a veteran known for crisp action and slick style. Why then is it such a disappointing movie? Because of Morgan Davis Foehl’s pedestrian script, which […]
Continue reading »Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) ☆ ☆
The Night at the Museum trilogy which this episode caps has never been one of great import. Young audiences should appreciate the notion of historical figures and skeletons of dinosaurs coming to life in a museum after hours, but the primary […]
Continue reading »