Francis Lawrence is a talented director … of big-budget genre fare like “I Am Legend” and “Constantine.” But two-hour romantic dramas set in the world of a traveling circus? Three-ring boredom, ladies and gentlemen, no matter how pretty — how utterly golden-hued — the proceedings look. Christoph Waltz, the most deserving Oscar winner for his […]
Twilight
Posted inArts & Culture
Water for Elephants
Francis Lawrence is a talented director … of big-budget genre fare like “I Am Legend” and “Constantine.” But two-hour romantic dramas set in the world of a traveling circus? Three-ring boredom, ladies and gentlemen, no matter how pretty — how utterly golden-hued — the proceedings look. Christoph Waltz, the most deserving Oscar winner for his […]
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Love Wedding Marriage
As Ava, a marriage counselor who’s newly married herself, Moore shines. As her husband, Charlie (Kellan Lutz, those damn “Twilight” movies), doesn’t; he’s as dull as his name is awkward. He doesn’t even look real. Anyway, their post-honeymoon bliss starts to wear off quickly as her parents (James Brolin and Jane Seymour) separate just shy […]
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Geek love
I am an unashamed geek for all things “Harry Potter,” but that is far from the only thing about which I get really nerdy. (Ahem, “X-Files,” “Firefly” and a whole lot more.) And there’s nothing wrong with that. I say, celebrate all those geeky things that you love! Geeks of all ages can find a […]
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Red Riding Hood
Note that the title lacks the character attribute of “little”; there’s nothing small about this adaptation. (My, what big visuals you have!) It’s the kind of flawed flick I can recommend on style alone. Amanda Seyfried (“Letters to Juliet”) dons the scarlet winter cloak as Valerie, who lives in a small village where she’s been […]
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Meskada
Sophomore writer/director Josh Sternfeld’s crime drama plays like a murder mystery in reverse, since it opens showing us exactly who commits the murder that rocks a small town, whose “white trash” populace then demands justice. Halo-worthy detective Noah Cordin (Nick Stahl) attempts to do that; he has his hunches, but the difficult part is gathering […]
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Let Me In
His cover claim that “Let Me In” represents “the best American horror film in the last 20 years” is high praise, but also overstating things. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the film, as it’s a terrific tale. It’s just that audiences paid it no attention upon its theatrical release. What has this […]
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Chain Letter
Turns out, I had nothing to fear but fear itself, because what a difference a budget makes! Although it’s nothing to write Mom about (she’s a wuss when it comes to things, no?), it’s enjoyable in that delightfully brain-dead way for which weekend movie-watching was invented. After one of the greatest opening sequences I’ve seen […]