If you've seen that trailer, then you've seen 90% of the best that this movie has to offer. As is often the case when a 2-3 minute trailer is better than a 90-minute-and-change movie, something I call "The 'Nacho Libre' Effect," the filmmakers had a really good pitch, premise, and starting idea, but couldn't develop it right from there. The wandering cliches pile on and they start to lose their sense and value by the time we get to the necessary end.
Read MoreAs busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, sometimes a simple sentence or two from a friend says it all. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a possible new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for quick-hit movie reviews.
Read MoreAll the buddy cop measurements and prerequisites are plugged into the new film "Let's Be Cops," which opens this coming August. I was lucky enough to catch a very advance screening of the film. The writers here, led by director Luke Greenfield of the forgettable "Something Borrowed," have the potential of a unique idea and a decent pair of leads to work with, but it's the real cop stuff that bogs the film down.
Read MoreWhat makes "Snowpiercer" a tough sell is its daring, yet isolating post-apocalyptic premise. It's pretty out there, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. However, thanks to buzz of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," this borderline obscure film receives new life as a small studio's attempt to cash in on the new stock value of its star. Very likely, "Snowpiercer" is going to get the label of the "other Chris Evans movie" this year.
Read More"The Monuments Men" may be the rare enigma and case of identity crisis where a movie doesn't know what it's trying to be. If "The Monuments Men" had went straight serious to really honor this war effort story, those involved all have the chops to deliver an affecting epic. If it had went the lighthearted route, this same cast and crew could nail that crowd-pleaser too with equal room for success. Either route needed more dedication and more time to succeed.
Read MoreFor this writer, Paul Thomas Anderson is a divisive tough sell. His movies, while technically sound and visually sharp, can frequently feel tiresome, bizarre, and vague to me. For many critics and cinephiles, those adjectives make him a courageous, risk-tasking genius instead. Such can be granted, but, with apologies, his nature and results can still make him exactly the former: tiresome, bizarre, and vague. The Master perpetuates that split sentiment.
Read MoreMelancholia is not your your typical science-fiction drama or even a typical family drama. With Lars Von Trier and his track record (Europa, Dogville, Antichrist), we shouldn't be surprised. It's essentially a wedding movie about two very different, yet equally damaged sisters, but it has a lot more going on. What's going on exactly? Well, it's a little foggy and full of issues.
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