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 new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for quick-hit movie reviews.
Read MoreEvery single positive piece of praise and advanced buzz about this movie is completely true. The is the best movie I have seen this summer, by a landslide. This film is tremendous on every single level. This is the summer blockbuster you need to pay to see. This is the movie you'll make a point to put on the shelf or the digital library in the future. This is the movie that, years from now, you will point to as the coming out party for something even bigger that's happened since. This is the movie we were promised and were waiting for. This one is going to leave a mark on our cinematic memory.
Read MoreDr. Laurence Knapp, an editor from University Press of Mississippi, has compiled and created the newest book in the "Conversations with Filmmakers" series. "David Fincher: Interviews" hits store shelves on August 1, 2014. You can preview and even pre-order a copy of "David Fincher: Interviews" over at Amazon today.
Read MoreI hope this big post and 200-song playlist finds you and serves you well. It's been quite the passion project for me to build, on and off, over the last year and a half. Thanks for letting me merge sounding like a parenting blogger and a movie in one post. Please share this column with your friends with kids. It's all not just for babies either. If you like this kind of music, it works great in the car or at the office as well. As a school teacher, I used to play this in my elementary school classes all the time. It's excellent music for creativity and focus for all ages. Enjoy!
Read MoreDisclaimer: I pulled this trick out a few years ago in comparing “The Expendables” with “The Expendables 2” where, because of the incredibly repetitive scenarios between the original and the sequel, I literally wrote on top of the first review for the review of the second movie. After seeing “22 Jump Street,” a movie that intentionally aims to copy its first effort, I knew this was a good chance to have a little editor’s fun again. Follow the strike-throughs below for edits and the bold writing for new language inserts. Other than that, the review for the first film might as well be the review for the second film. It’s that similar.
Read MoreI'm going to go out on a limb and say that we might have a new entry into the pantheon of parody classics with the recent release "They Came Together." The new comedy from director David Wain, best known to audiences for "Wanderlust," "Role Models," and "Wet Hot American Summer," checks all of those above boxes for being a great parody. The film is packed with smart humor, joke complexity, clever approaches, and an elaborate sense of storybuilding and delivery that most parodies lack. Best of all, Wain assembles a near-perfect cast of his old pals, led by Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, that never cease to entertain.
Read MoreFor those website followers that don't know me on social media, I've become a first-time father in the past year-and-a-half and have a second child on the way due this fall. For this column, I might turn into a parenting blogger more than a movie critic, but bear with me. I think you will like it.
Read MoreWith the end of June, we've come to the halfway point of the traditionally long four-month summer movie season. In my opinion, even though the box office receipts keep rolling in here and abroad, May and June brought more disappointments than winners. The offerings of July and August aren't usually as strong as May and June, but maybe this year will be different.
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 MoreHere is the master list of releases and dates for the late half of this summer movie season for 2014. Print it out, slap it on the fridge, and pick your spots. As always, dates and movies shift all of the time, so look before you drive out to the theater. Full preview coming up next!
Read MoreHere are my picks for the "Best of 2014 (so far)" with a halfway count of the five best instead of the full ten. It must be said, that I have far from seen every possible 2014 film entry. Plenty of mainstream and arthouse films have eluded me and my busy schedule, but there is enough to talk about here. As always, in matching with the theme of my website, I couple the best-so-far selection with the film's best life lesson. Enjoy!
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