The raunchiest cautionary tale ever put on film, The Wolf of Wall Street is brilliant! The narrative takes a page from "Goodfellas" but instead of cutting to horrific acts of violence, Wolf shows us the jaw dropping life of excess led by Jordan Belfort. This guy is a prick and the movie does nothing to … Continue reading THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Tracy Letts AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY didn’t just win a Tony. Her play about a completely screwed up family won a Pulitzer and is widely considered one of the best American plays of the last quarter century. But does a great play make a great movie. Hmm. Not always. Meryl Streep is Violet, the completely psychotic … Continue reading AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

As long as we've had this website, there have only been a handful of movies for which I just couldn't get it up to write a review, and not even because I disliked them. (Are you listening, WORLD WAR Z?) That was almost the case here, and though I feel obligated to weigh in on … Continue reading THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

It's not Smaug who is left desolate at the end of this second-in-a-trilogy; it's the desolation the dragon will soon reap as it flies off on a mission of massacre. "What have we done?" asks Bilbo Baggins in the film's final line, which left me barking "No!" as the credits rolled. I was totally into the … Continue reading THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Whatever led to Frank Darabont's being fired off THE WALKING DEAD, his talent is all over this 6-part mini-series on TNT. At first, a retelling of the Busgy Siegel-Mickey Cohen connection in corrupt 1940's Los Angeles may seem like retrodden old ground — one more homage to film noir. But visually, Darabont and Guy Ferland … Continue reading MOB CITY

Kids love it, adults love it, critics love it — and why not? Disney's (not Pixar's) latest animated feature follows BRAVE and TANGLED with another strong female heroine, and while the PC-ish (but laudable) theme of XX-chromosome empowerment is on display once again, the message is neatly delivered with zest, beauty and great good humor. … Continue reading FROZEN

Let's begin with what annoyed me. The use of the framing device of Old Tonto telling the story to the little kid at the carnival. The fact that the movie is almost 2 hours and 30 minutes. The fact that this is more about Tonto than the Lone Ranger. It's just so disappointing on so … Continue reading THE LONE RANGER

Maybe it was no accident that RED 2 came out the same week Twinkies were put back on supermarket shelves. Both are full of empty calories and will be here long after their intended shelf life. RED was a fun and funny action comedy. RED 2 has lots of action, but the comedy will elicit … Continue reading RED 2

The "buzz" has already begun. LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER is already being whispered about in "Oscar Circles". The question is it worth it? Well, the film definitely has those moments that will create the buzz. Sentimental scenes that tug at your emotions. But, it also has some quieter scenes that are skillfully acted by Forest … Continue reading LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER

Wasn't it one of the SAW sequels whose twist ending was that the whole thing had played out simultaneously with one of the earlier SAWs ? Something like that seems to be going on here, based on the final few seconds (literally) when Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat (the couple from the original PA) wrap things … Continue reading PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES