I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film, but there were aspects that I enjoyed, including its no holds barred style. More of the same is present in this sequel, in which the kid whose father was bazooka-ed to […]
Continue reading »Category: Recent Releases
Elysium (2013) ☆ ☆
Based on his films District 9 (2009) and this year’s Elysium, writer-director Neill Blomkamp is keen to explore dystopian futures in which much of the world’s population is controlled by a much smaller segment. With lots of action scenes. Indeed, Elysium feels […]
Continue reading »The Way, Way Back (2013) ☆ ☆ ☆
The Way, Way Back is a sensitive, yet humorous, glimpse into the painful world of adolescence, following thirteen-year old Duncan (Liam James) as he spends a very awkward summer with his mother (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend (Steve Carell) at […]
Continue reading »Still Mine (2013) ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
Films about older people have become more frequent recently, probably because so many of our finest actors have aged into senior citizen-hood and need good parts, and many of them are worthwhile. Still Mine definitely falls into that category; it is […]
Continue reading »Red 2 (2013) ☆ ☆ 1/2
I enjoyed the first Red, which boasted a cadre of senior citizen secret agents having to defend themselves when someone begins hunting them, all done with appealing performances, zippy dialogue and some slam bang action. A second viewing of it […]
Continue reading »Despicable Me 2 (2013) ☆ 1/2
The first of these animated films was cute, with villain Gru trying to steal the Moon but instead learning that building a happy family is more important. It bugged me that its message seemed to be that caring for children […]
Continue reading »Pacific Rim (2013) ☆ ☆ ☆
A throwback to the 1950s and ’60s Japanese monster movies which followed the original Gojira (Godzilla), Guillermo del Toro’s movie is a blend of titanium-plated Transformers-like robot technology and old-fashioned, rubber-suited monster mayhem on big city streets. It’s just as dorky […]
Continue reading »This is the End (2013) ☆ ☆
The previews for this profane apocalyptic comedy made me cringe; much of the actual film does as well. Its dialogue is needlessly, stupidly grotesque, and so are many of the real-life based characters. Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Craig […]
Continue reading »Unfinished Song (2013) ☆ ☆ 1/2
Unfinished Song, originally to be titled Song for Marion, is a British weepie in the tradition of last year’s Quartet or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I think of it as Quartet-lite. It’s simple plot consists of pensioner Arthur Harris (Terence Stamp) […]
Continue reading »The Lone Ranger (2013) ☆ 1/2
I actually enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy a great deal (not the fourth one, however), but I can understand when people refer to those adventures as “over the top” or “overproduced.” I didn’t mind silly extravagances and wild characters […]
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