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 »Category: Recent Releases
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 »Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) ☆ ☆ ☆
I’m a sucker for big apocalyptic melodramas — there is no greater drama in my view than the end of our civilization — yet I also enjoy subtler takes on the psychology of cataclysm, and in that regard this movie […]
Continue reading »Crooked Arrows (2012) ☆ ☆ ☆
As inspirational sports movies go Crooked Arrows is fairly standard, what with its troubled coach, players who find it difficult to play as a team, unlikely rebound from adversity and ultimate triumph against all odds. What distinguishes this movie as something […]
Continue reading »Chernobyl Diaries (2012) ☆ ☆
The biggest fault I can find with horror films is that their premises all too often fail to sustain themselves. For instance, I felt Poltergeist was super scary until we learn that the haunted house was built on top of an […]
Continue reading »Men in Black 3 (2012) ☆ ☆ ☆
I’ve enjoyed the two comedic Men in Black adventures, but I don’t love them. I think that the intrinsic “bigger picture” dramatic value of having a semi-secret government agency protecting Earth from crazy aliens is sacrificed in each movie by focusing […]
Continue reading »The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) ☆ ☆ ☆
Several elderly Britishers react to their unhappy circumstances with a life-changing decision to move to India once they see an ad for a pretty retirement home, known as the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful. When they […]
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