 Older Films (2010-present)
After I dreaded another by-the-numbers Tim Burton remake, I was thrilled to discover a much more challenging, original, and engaging film. It doesn't just look incredible; it makes bold choices in adapting Carroll's work. This will be one of 2010's best. –Scott Hardie • March 28 2010, 10:49am EST
Ryan Reynolds is great in this minimalist thriller told from the perspective of a man buried alive with two hours to get free. The plot twists cut like a knife, as we share his desperation. There's a surprising amount of action, considering the space. –Scott Hardie • December 2 2011, 12:12am EST
More like Captain AmeriCANT. Yep, that's all I got. Starts great, but it's full of wasted potential, some major characters with terrible development, and overall not a fantastic piece of cinema. But not awful. –Jon Berry • July 29 2011, 1:31am EST
The movie featured all the characters of the first film but not a single new joke. Cliche driven bumpkin-as-spy plot mixed with NASCAR. I would have preferred sliding down a barbed-wire bannister into a pool of lemon juice. –Steve West • July 2 2011, 12:41pm EST
Previous Payne/Taylor movies like Election and About Schmidt succeeded as satire, with rich targets to skewer. This one doubles down on the corny Midwestern innocence and lacks purpose. It's warm & fuzzy in parts, but fails to be funny. –Scott Hardie • August 13 2011, 2:15pm EST
The 99%-CGI remake gets the art design right, especially in the monsters. But everything else goes very wrong, from gaps in the plot, to shots ripped off from better movies, to hammy overacting. (Did Neeson and Fiennes really do Schindler's List?) –Scott Hardie • April 20 2010, 11:00pm EST • 10 replies
There isn't much insight about O'Brien to be found besides his constant need for an audience that gives the movie its title. But all I wanted was a funny 90 minutes feeling like I was hanging out with O'Brien between shows, and it delivered those laughs. –Scott Hardie • February 12 2012, 4:34pm EST
Without Jeff Bridges's magnificent performance, this would be a so-so drama with some good old-fashioned country songs and pretty shots of the southwestern landscape. Bridges elevates it into something very affecting. He earns its pathos. –Scott Hardie • May 22 2010, 7:39am EST
This delivers what it promises: Many funny lines from perfectly-cast Fey and Carrell, silly supporting players, and a lame mixed-up-in-crime plot right from the 1980s. The photography is bad enough to be distracting, but the movie brings a lot of laughs. –Scott Hardie • June 16 2010, 9:17am EST
Not much laugh-out-loud material but plenty of chuckles and a few tug-at-your-heartstrings teary moments. Fairly predictable plotline even for a kiddie movie still delivers consistent charming scenes. What's the big deal over Russel Brand (yawn)? –Steve West • July 17 2010, 2:29pm EST
It's refreshing for a movie to star a supervillain, so much so that I wanted to see more of his work in the early scenes before his inevitable conversion into something less interesting. This is watered-down Pixar, mildly ambitious and contentedly so-so. –Scott Hardie • August 7 2010, 10:31am EST
A standard Euro action flick that stays close to the 2006 original, this sequel is fun early on, but drags to a lame anticlimax. It delivers the expected combat scenes, but much less impressive parkour stunts this time, perhaps because they got too big. –Scott Hardie • June 20 2010, 2:17pm EST
I can deal with Zach Galifianakis being so irritating (even though the movie's clear subtext is that Robert Downey Jr. is worse to be around). I can deal with the unmistakable similarity with Planes, Trains & Automobiles, which we could dismiss for being twenty years old if Due Date didn't seem to borrow so much from it. What I can't accept is that this just isn't very funny. There are a handful of small laughs, and would be a lot of big ones if the trailer hadn't spoiled all of them. Want to see something funny and save time? Watch the highlight reel and skip the movie. –Scott Hardie • July 31 2011, 4:41pm EST
It's possible to make a funny comedy about incompetent suicide bombers, but this ambitious production fails to pull it off. The characters are played way too broadly: The blowhard, the coward, the moron, etc. There's a few funny moments, but not enough. –Scott Hardie • November 12 2011, 9:35am EST • 1 reply
What a disappointment. Ryan Reynolds would have been a much better Wally West than Hal Jordan. The plot was convoluted and annoying. –Scott Horowitz • June 30 2011, 4:38pm EST
This attempt to make mumblecore palatable for mainstream audiences is sharp as a knife and well-acted by Greta Gerwig and Ben Stiller, who create two unique individuals. But it's still not appealing enough to satisfy anyone beyond its moody demographic. –Scott Hardie • April 11 2010, 4:23pm EST
A brittle, selfish, unlikeable heroine who doesn't change. Absurd gaps as if half the scenes are missing. A crazy woman happily getting pregnant by her own illegitimate son. Rip Torn's naked ass. It all adds up to one of the worst movies of any year. –Scott Hardie • July 11 2010, 8:57am EST
The nadir of the series requires a fan's memory for names and faces, looks like it was lit by candlelight, and has far too many inessential scenes stretching it out. I liked a few parts, especially the animated fairy tale, but I hope for a better finish. –Scott Hardie • July 10 2011, 5:13pm EST
Now that's more like it. Part 2 is what the seventh Harry Potter always should have been: Epic, exciting, revelatory, and (mostly) relentless. It could stand to have a little more emotional catharsis at the end, but it's pretty good fun. I'm satisfied. –Scott Hardie • October 27 2011, 10:59pm EST
This stand-up concert film starring (and made by) Louis C.K. was good enough to be the first such film admitted to the Sundance Film Festival, and that feels appropriate: It's some of the funniest of his self-effacing, warts-and-all confessional comedy. –Scott Hardie • April 26 2012, 9:17am EST
Since it's 1986 in theaters all year, we may as well have a movie in which the characters travel to 1986. This buddy comedy is sloppy and formula-bound, but scores laughs again and again. You'll love or hate Rob Corddry's vulgar bully; he appealed to me. –Scott Hardie • June 3 2010, 10:59pm EST • 2 replies
This smart complex romantic comedy starts out with multiple plots and a hyper-emphasis on neurotic personality traits rather than a love story. As the film progresses, the multiple plots merge in a lovely way and "real" characters emerge as the lead female changes her perspective on them and her own life. –Jackie Mason • March 25 2011, 12:39pm EST
Dreamworks has produced an animated stunner, visually at least. Why do animated characters require greatness to be considered interesting? Do kids need that to maintain interest? I don't, but it was extremely watchable nonetheless. IMAX 3-D rules! –Steve West • April 10 2010, 3:07pm EST • 1 reply
Many LGBT movies deal with identity crises, but this comedy aims for a wider audience, by telling a very funny true story about a slippery con artist who merely happens to be gay. Jim Carrey's mania is just right for the role and he gets a lot of laughs. –Scott Hardie • October 1 2011, 8:20am EST • 1 reply
This tightly-wound heist movie demands concentration as it juggles action on five levels at once for its entire second half. It's a mental workout that makes you feel exhilarated. Its biggest drawback is not going even further with its great big ideas. –Scott Hardie • August 15 2010, 11:45am EST
As you'd expect, it's pretty, fast and fun like its predecessor, with exciting action scenes and a decent attempt at emotional depth. But it's also less smart and less funny, and wastes way too much time setting up future crossover movies. –Scott Hardie • May 11 2010, 10:53pm EST • 1 reply
What a weird blend this movie is. Parts of it are hilarious, especially Nicolas Cage impersonating Adam West. But the tonal shifts between light comedy and vicious violence are too much, and the characters change their morality at a moment's notice. –Scott Hardie • April 28 2010, 9:39am EST
Edward Norton creates two very different characters, a philosophy professor and his pot-farmer brother, in this genre-bending indie movie. But the film's real appeal is its thoughtful consideration of bigger issues: Love, faith, humanity, language, identity, courage. Various characters debate these topics openly and intelligently, like an Oklahoman version of Waking Life with a subplot about homicidal drug dealers. Its surrender to the necessity of plot is a weakness, especially during the obligatory showdown in a dark warehouse that feels phony, but most of the movie is refreshing food for thought; these characters have more on their minds than just the mundane details of their day. I discovered after seeing it that writer/director/co-star Tim Blake Nelson studied classical philosophy and even discussed it in press interviews, which is pleasant but not really a surprise. –Scott Hardie • January 25 2012, 9:41pm EST
God, being the indecisive omnipotent being that he is, decides to send a new messiah to earth, but then decides that instead of a savior, maybe it would be better to just destroy mankind (and audience) with poor dialoge and bad acting. –Erik Bates • May 31 2010, 1:08am EST • 1 reply
With only a few worthwhile moments buried in a huge, smoking dogpile of inconceivability, this film ranks as one of the poorest I've seen. Instantaneous knowledge of the complex workings of futuristic equipment abounds. It's visual remarkableness is heavily outweighed by it's stunning lack of likeability. –Steve West • March 13 2011, 9:00am EST
Disney's gallery of aquatic life has some rich photography and an appropriate sense of grandeur. But it's marred by relentlessly imbecilic narration with countless strained non sequiturs, and a redundant, generic preachiness about saving the oceans. –Scott Hardie • July 2 2010, 8:42am EST
I really enjoy this one. This was better than the last 2 made. If you haven't seen it go see it. Awesome movie –Chris Lemler • June 9 2011, 4:35pm EST
While a step in the right direction after the dreary 2nd and 3rd titles, this streamlined sequel is sadly just as lacking in the sense of humor that distinguished the original. It's fun but not funny, settling everything with a sword instead of a quip. –Scott Hardie • June 11 2011, 10:59pm EST • 1 reply
A transgendered filmmaker tries to heal her relationship with her brain-damaged, Jekyll-and-Hyde big brother. It's meandering and needs to take some artistic license, but it's a unique story. She needs more perspective on how she makes her brother feel. –Scott Hardie • August 15 2010, 9:49am EST
The film follows the comic's geeky ethos of cramming endless references and inspirations into every corner of the screen, staying clever and fun all the way through. It's clumsy about its subtext, but at least it has one, rare for a hyper teen comedy. –Scott Hardie • September 15 2010, 8:05am EST
Shrek gets to compare being a wild bachelor ogre to a domesticated house ogre. Sadly, the villains suck but Puss in Boots provides plenty of chuckles and the best line is saved for last. It's truly worth the wait. –Steve West • May 22 2010, 6:40pm EST
Scorsese and DiCaprio take on film noir, showing a desperate man's cracking mental state as his past refuses to leave him alone. Originality is not its strong suit, but it's creepy, and packs disturbing dream imagery and great one-scene performances. –Scott Hardie • March 6 2010, 1:29pm EST
Finally, an animated feature that will wow adults also. Touching moments and a villain without superpowers. The chameleon was cute and understated enough that I could get past the pet sidekick shtick. Terrific soundtrack. –Steve West • November 27 2010, 3:48pm EST • 1 reply
The action scenes are incomprehensible and impossible, and the humor leans way too heavily on surface references to the TV show. But it benefits a lot from a giddy air of ridiculous rule-breaking, and has pretty good throwaway gags if you listen closely. –Scott Hardie • August 17 2010, 11:52pm EST
This neo-Western functions primarily as a starkly photographed travelogue of a post-apocalyptic landscape, and it looks gorgeous. It has some enjoyably silly ideas and sillier acting, but you must overlook a few big plot contrivances to appreciate it. –Scott Hardie • May 29 2010, 9:08am EST
Bill Shatner's interviews with the other Star Trek captains are sometimes shallow (Chris Pine has little to say about acting because his career is about 5 minutes old), sometimes bizarre (Avery Brooks IS from outer space and can apparently only communicate via improvised jazz duets), and sometimes surprisingly profound (Kate Mulgrew gets Shatner to admit how terrified he is of death). Trekkers will love it because they eat up the tiniest crumbs that fall from the Star Trek table, but non-fans won't find much of interest. –Scott Hardie • November 5 2011, 4:38pm EST
This Irish film was so dull, it made me wish I was watching The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. It combines a ghost story and a romance, but goes nowhere with either, and ends abruptly in what feels like the beginning of the second act. That's really all? –Scott Hardie • July 31 2010, 1:25pm EST
Roman Polanski stays sharp with this slow-building suspense picture that draws heavily on his feelings about living in isolation to avoid foreign prosecution. If the plot details don't completely satisfy, remember that the real point here is the emotion. –Scott Hardie • December 19 2010, 9:30pm EST • 1 reply
With the ferocity of a wounded animal, a tough heroine dominates an intense mystery on a frigid Swedish island. Its graphic violence is a lot to take, but true to the novel's meaning about the abuse of women. This is a thriller with its fangs bared. –Scott Hardie • July 2 2010, 8:53am EST
It's like a middle-school writing class had a screenplay contest and the "winner" got filmed. This movie is so amateurish and dreadfully boring, it makes you forget the cast has done good work before. It practically screams out for MST3K treatment. –Scott Hardie • January 21 2011, 11:14pm EST
This impressive satire of marketing culture has been criticized for lacking sharper teeth, but I think its casual, bemused charm (thanks especially to Duchovny) is key, because the one scene where it goes WAY over the top is the only wrong note it hits. –Scott Hardie • May 5 2010, 11:12pm EST
The pre-ordained (self-ordained?) Oscar front-runner of 2010 is as funny and worth seeing as you may have heard, and as loose as its royal subject matter will allow. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush deserve their nominations for two marvelous performances. –Scott Hardie • January 29 2011, 7:37pm EST
This colorful action flick wouldn't be half bad if it didn't steal every tired cliché it could think of, if the characters had more than faint hints of personality, and if Jason Patric's groan-inducing cartoon villain didn't ruin every scene he's in. –Scott Hardie • August 21 2010, 9:19am EST
This Cadavra sequel continues Larry Blamire's streak of diminishing returns. There are too many characters and too much plot for any of it to build any comic momentum. The 15-minute "making of" featurette packs more laughs than the whole movie. –Scott Hardie • August 26 2010, 9:02pm EST
This reminded me of the similarly frustrating What Dreams May Come: Very pretty CGI visions of the afterlife, but what a slow, tedious bore otherwise. The movie can't just make a point; it has to dwell on every scene long after we get the message. –Scott Hardie • May 9 2010, 7:37pm EST • 2 replies
What could have been a fantastic, memorable revenge/justice film from Korea somewhat comes off as a little tame, a little safe, and sometimes, a little questionable. Fantastic action and a great premise save the film, however. –Jon Berry • June 12 2011, 8:48pm EST
What if a song were the only way to bring back lost memories? An amazingly emotional movie with a damn good soundtrack reminds us all just how important the soundtrack of our lives can truly be. –Erik Bates • August 30 2011, 10:23pm EST
The make-it-up-as-we-go ethos of improvised comedies is not usually my thing. But when this one clicks, it scores some huge laughs, like a whispered brawl at a funeral, and unwitting quotes of TLC lyrics. Naked Gun fans, don't miss this. –Scott Hardie • September 24 2010, 8:35am EST
A math professor & student solve murders. Their philosophical debates are fascinating. The rest of the movie is painfully bad, all stilted dialogue and bizarre characterization. It's The Da Vinci Code except unwatchable between the cerebral parts. –Scott Hardie • August 14 2011, 8:20pm EST
David Hyde Pierce and Clayne Crawford are great in this darkly comic thriller, each one trying to outsmart the other and survive the night. The movie's spell is broken by needless third-act twists; it was pretty good with a narrower focus up until then. –Scott Hardie • November 5 2011, 10:08pm EST
This horror remake looks great, with lush art design and visual effects. Too bad it's content to stop improving there: Other than a barely touched-upon Oedipal conflict, there's very little subtext or significance, and too much wasted potential. –Scott Hardie • February 27 2010, 8:26pm EST
You can almost hear the bottom of the superhero barrel being scraped. This two-hour preview for The Avengers is not compelling and cuts away every time it starts to build momentum, but it does possess some charm and beautiful designs for Asgard. –Scott Hardie • May 15 2011, 8:03am EST • 3 replies
This unnecessary, contractually mandated sequel is a sufficiently cheerful but fairly standard adventure for its first two acts, then finally gets around to delivering Pixar's signature emotional wallop towards the end and gains overdue depth. –Scott Hardie • July 8 2010, 8:18am EST • 2 replies
MINOR SPOILERS ALERT Visually astounding and extremely appealing to computer nerds (they were actually using REAL unix/linux commands!). Going into this film, I expected a non-stop cheesy action flick that devoted itself to to kick-ass graphics instead of the storyline. Instead I was stunned to find the story to be extremely introspective, philosophical, and emotionally touching. There are so many layers to the background given about the "Grid" that I found myself pondering existence, religion, and societal norms. There are moments that seem to drag on, but when put into context of exactly what the situation is, it all comes together nicely. Kevin Flynn says more than once that there is more than one solution to problems and that sometimes the best action is to take no action at all. He proves on at least two occasions that he is the most powerful being within his creation, but does not interfere with allowing his programs to make their own decisions. It's been more than 48 hours since I've seen the movie and I'm still pondering the enormous amounts of philosophy I took in. –Matthew Preston • December 23 2010, 11:47am EST • 2 replies
Hypekill may have spoiled this one for me; I found it languid and tame. It's called "country noir," but noir is meant to lack a moral hero; this protagonist is perfect and prevails by winsomeness. At least the poor Ozark backwoods looked authentic. –Scott Hardie • January 2 2011, 3:08pm EST
X-Men First Class is a great comic book movie. it went back to the feel of the first one where they made you feel that mutants can exist in our world. The cast was superb, and even thought they ignore continuity, it was done very well –Scott Horowitz • June 13 2011, 1:51pm EST • 6 replies |
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