Like a lot of people I enjoy Bruce Campbell’s work, so I was looking forward to this film, which he co-produced, directed, and starred in as parody version of himself. In the end I was disappointed, but there are moments, … Continue reading
Sucker Punch is a strange film, self-consciously and intentionally so, with a title that makes no particular sense. Lovely Emily Browning (who was a mental patient at the start of The Uninvited) is here a troubled young woman dumped in … Continue reading
I’m surprised we don’t see more of Emily Browning, the talented and attractive young actress who played Violet, the elder sister in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (reviewed here). In this film she stars as a teenager who … Continue reading
I’ve never seen the original stage musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine that debuted back in 1986, but this is reportedly a pretty faithful adaptation, with script by Lapine and all changes (mainly for running time) approved by Sondheim. … Continue reading
One of my numerous character flaws is a tolerance for cheap laff-a-minute parodies, which is why I sat through two parodies of The Hunger Games. This one is slightly worse than The Hungover Games, though it has its moments and … Continue reading
This is the sort of film that’s more fun for the cast and crew than the audience. The premise: What if the characters from The Hangover and its sequels suddenly found themselves competing in The Hunger Games against their counterparts … Continue reading
The first film in the series was an OK dystopian science fiction adventure aimed (like the trilogy of novels the films are based on) primarily at an adolescent audience, but this sequel is quite a lot better, with more depth … Continue reading
This is the first of a series of movies adapted from a popular trilogy of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gary Ross and Billy Ray. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) lives with her … Continue reading
James Franco plays the not-very-bright host of a popular celebrity interview show. Seth Rogen is his producer and best friend but regrets not having followed his dream of being a serious journalist. But then he scores a journalistic coup: It … Continue reading
Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are writers who met, fell in love, and got married in New York and now live in Missouri, where he teaches creative writing and helps his twin sister run a bar. They’re just about to … Continue reading