Quartet
“Ah, Bach!” If you’re a fan of M*A*S*H, you’ll get the reference. Hawkeye advises classical-music neophyte Radar to use the phrase as a catch-all to impress a nurse. Still cracks…
Identity Thief
Identity Thief isn’t terrible. It’s just not very good. Which wouldn’t be so bad, except that the movie could and should be so much better. Make sense? Especially when you factor…
Stand Up Guys
Great actors does not a great movie make. Pardon my grammar, but that’s my final answer on Stand Up Guys, a dark comedy starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and, to…
Struck By Lightning
Struck By Lighting is an odd movie - a heartfelt drama/comedy that isn't nearly as laugh-at-loud funny as it claims to be. Chris Colfer (a.k.a. ‘Kurt’ from Glee) plays Carson…
Django Unchained
I am not a huge Tarantino fan. I was when he started out with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, but then he went through a phase that I can only…
The Hidden Fortress 隠し砦の三悪人
The Hidden Fortress may not be one of the most well known of Kurasawa's films, but it is a wonderfully entertaining mix of adventure, comedy and drama. It opens with…
This Is 40
Writer/director Judd Apatow’s midlife crisis comedy This is 40 is not that funny, or even that good – especially for a movie that the studio has been touting for major…
Silver Linings Playbook
Lots of hype surrounds Silver Linings Playbook and I'm not sure I buy into the Best Picture scenario, but as rom-dramedies go, there are not a lot of comparable films.…
The Details
The Details is opening under the radar, and I think for good reason. It tries really hard to be a dark comedy, but doesn't really get either part of that…
Wreck-It Ralph
Yay! A really good family movie that you should be taking the kids to (rather than the not-so-family-friendly movie Fun Size that young‘uns brainwashed by Nickelodeon may be clamoring to…
Butter
Yes, indeed. This is a movie about butter -- a butter sculpting competition to be precise. Not something you see all that often, right? But I have not gone out…
Pitch Perfect
Gleeks will rejoice in Pitch Perfect. It’s basically Glee goes to college – a cappella style. But even non-Gleeks can enjoy this one, thanks to a fun, diverse and talented…
Hotel Transylvania
Hotel Transylvania is a delightful little getaway -- of the animated, cinematic variety. You can check in anytime you want, on one condition, you must be a monster. Humans are…
The Intouchables
The Intouchables is my new favorite French feel-good film! Based on a true story, I must admit, the premise sounded like a total downer. A rich Parisian quadriplegic hires an…