As mechanical as an artificial heart, as predictable as SoCal weather, as forced as the Bataan march, as unfunny as a mass layoff, VALENTINE'S DAY wastes talent like a canary wastes seed. Ashton Kutcher and Taylor Swift give it a go, but the rest of the something- for-everyone cast is barely there. This isn't a … Continue reading VALENTINE’S DAY

An underappreciated gem, THE STEPFATHER is not a remake but the latest iteration of the boogeyman classic. Remarkably nuanced in its journey from "normal" to psycho, the characters are both interesting and well- acted. Penn Badgely is too old for the part but has the makings of a movie star. And though Dylan Walsh doesn't … Continue reading THE STEPFATHER

I Know What You Did On SORORITY ROW Last Summer. And it wasn't all that interesting. A decent enough 20-minute set-up doesnt follow through with any imaginative mayhem or suspense. Formula all the way, my advice is not to pledge. -- JEFF SCHULTZ

When you think of great political thrillers THE GHOST WRITER must be included in any list. Ewan McGregor's "Ghost" spends the movie trying to figure out the world he's been dropped in the middle of. And learning it all with him is a wonderfully satisfying ride. Brosnan is wonderful as a mix of Tony Blair … Continue reading THE GHOST WRITER

Michael Jai White IS Black Dynamite! This comedy hits all the right notes for any and all movie buffs. Continuity, stray boom mics, awful dialogue, theseintentional goofs turn this sendup of 70's blaxploitation flicks into the comic stratosphere. Dynamite will have you exploding with laughter! -- Stormy Curry

I feel like I have already read THE BOOK OF ELI...a movie that is passable fare. Denzel plays Wesley Snipes...I mean Eli, a mysterious guy wandering across a post apocalyptic earth on a mission that is also "mysterious". A neat twist in the final few minutes is a nice "Ah ha" moment but not enough … Continue reading THE BOOK OF ELI

No meat on these Lovely Bones. This mess of a movie is all over place. Tucci is a great creep and Wahlberg is effective as a grieving father. But Susan Sarandon feels like she wandered in off thee set of some lame comedy and Rachel Weisz makes her Mummy acting look Oscar worthy. Peter Jackson … Continue reading THE LOVELY BONES

IT'S COMPLICATED, but it's not entirely convincing, and it's much too long. The latest movie for the over-50 set (paging About Schmidt, hi there, Something's Gotta Give) has high-gloss performances from its three leads, especially Baldwin. But only of John Krasinski can it be said that every scene he's in he made me laugh out … Continue reading IT’S COMPLICATED

15-year-olds who fantasize that their adolescent minds and underdeveloped bodies are more than a match for Greek gods and hot mortals will love PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS (which sounds like a 50's doo-wop group). The rest of us will find THE LIGHTNING THIEF time stolen. The effects and monsters are fun in a Ray … Continue reading PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

THE WOLFMAN bites. Slow and gloomy, it feels like a full month passes in the theater waiting for the next full moon and some action. To be Blunt, Emily's a drag, Hopkins snail-mails it in, and Del Toro's El Boro. Nothing to howl over. -- Jeff Schultz