Caper movies have been popular for better than half a century now, and show no sign of slowing down. Sooner or later virtually everyone in Hollywood makes one. Caper movies are (supposed to be) fun, clever spits-in-the-eye to authority groups […]
Continue reading »Category: Recent Releases
J. Edgar (2011) ✰ ✰
Few Americans have led lives as influential or controversial as the longtime director of the F.B.I, J. Edgar Hoover. Why is it then that no one can seem to make a decent movie about the man? Clint Eastwood is the […]
Continue reading »Puss in Boots (2011) ✰ ✰ ✰
I enjoyed but never loved the Shrek films, and my favorite characters were the supporting ones used for comic relief: Donkey, and Puss in Boots. I think it’s great that Puss gets his own movie. The more cat movies the better, […]
Continue reading »Anonymous (2011) ✰ ✰ ✰
Was Shakespeare a fraud? That is the tagline for Roland Emmerich’s new drama Anonymous, which supports the theory that Edward De Vere was really the genius known as “William Shakespeare.” The truth will probably never be known, as it has […]
Continue reading »In Time (2011) ✰ ✰ ½
From Andrew Niccol (writer of The Truman Show, writer-director of Gattaca, S1mOne and Lord of War) comes another high-concept film, this one involving time and the aging process. In Time presents a future where people stop aging at 25, but can only […]
Continue reading »Footloose (2011) ✰ ✰ ½
While this is yet another unnecessary remake, it is fairly engrossing and effective, partly because it recycles many of the songs from the original. This time around, Kenny Wormald plays the youngster who can’t believe that a town would outlaw […]
Continue reading »The Mighty Macs (2011) ✰ ✰ ½
As sports films go, The Mighty Macs is pretty routine in all but its subject: women’s college basketball. In fact, I had no idea what the title meant (I thought it was some sort of kiddie movie, especially with its G […]
Continue reading »Take Shelter (2011) ✰ ✰ ½
The preview for this arthouse film drew me in at once; Ohio well-driller and family man Michael Shannon begins to see (and dream about) signs which may well point to a coming apocalypse. It all ties in with weather, so […]
Continue reading »Johnny English Reborn (2011) ✰ ✰ ½
Eight years after his bland and desultory original spy spoof Johnny English, Rowan Atkinson returns in a totally unnecessary sequel. Surprisingly, perhaps amazingly, it’s pretty good. The producers have spent a good deal of money and effort to create a […]
Continue reading »50 / 50 (2011) ✰ ✰ ✰
Some subjects seem to demand reverential treatment in movies or real life, and cancer is one of them. So a movie that dares to dilute the horror of the disease with humor seems refreshing. Even though there is nothing funny […]
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