American Ultra (Nima Nourizadeh, 2015) He’s a stoner! But wait, he might be so much more. What’s that spoon doing stuck … More
Category: movie reviews
The Docucinema of Bold Ink: “Best of Enemies,” “The End of the Tour” and “Straight Outta Compton”
[NOTE from 8/22/15: I just added a post-script, below, to my review of “Straight Outta Compton.”] My apologies, for this … More
The Ditzy, Dizzy “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Dazzles with (Empty) Style
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Guy Ritchie, 2015) The original “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” television series ran from 1964 to 1968 on NBC. … More
The Redundant Reboot: “Fantastic Four” Falls Flat
Fantastic Four (Josh Trank, 2015) Where to begin? Perhaps with the question, not unique to this particular movie, of why. In … More
“Shaun the Sheep Movie” Entertains, But Needs Its Woolly Bits Shorn
Shaun the Sheep Movie (Mark Burton/Richard Starzak, 2015) The English animation studio Aardman Animations – best known for its Wallace and Gromit short films, … More
Go, Tom, Go! In “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” Cruise and Company Run a Great Game
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Christopher McQuarrie, 2015) Christopher McQuarrie, the Oscar-winning writer of Bryan Singer’s terrific 1995 The Usual Suspects – … More
In “Southpaw,” Fuqua and Gyllenhaal Knock Themselves Out
Southpaw (Antoine Fuqua, 2015) I can pinpoint the exact moment that this dreary film lost me. A terrible tragedy occurs … More
“Mr. Holmes” Misses His Mark
Mr. Holmes (Bill Condon, 2015) On a recent episode of WNYC’s Studio 360, actor Ian McKellen (best known, to mainstream … More
Got Marvel Malaise? Clever “Ant-Man” Offers Cure for What Ails You
Ant-Man (Peyton Reed, 2015) Tired of big, bombastic studio superhero films such as Avengers: Age of Ultron? That movie may have … More
“Trainwreck” Offers a Chain of Amusing Anecdotes but a Wreck of a Story
Trainwreck (Judd Apatow, 2015) Since I first saw Trainwreck at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, two things have happened. First, the good: … More
