Chimps Rule in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Matt Reeves, 2014) Summer is always a tough time to be human at … More

It’s the End of the World, Did You Know It? Apocalypse and Death at the Summer Cineplex

Transformers: Age of Extinction (Michael Bay, 2014) Let’s start with the fourth entry in the Transformers movie series. Film critic A.O. Scott, in his New … More

Close Encounters Phone Home: “Earth to Echo” Echoes Better Movies Past

Earth to Echo (Dave Green, 2014) Are you a fan of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and/or E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial? Did you enjoy … More

“Tammy” Drives into a Sinkhole

Tammy (Ben Falcone, 2014) Here’s the thing about Melissa McCarthy: in films such as Bridesmaids, This Is 40, The Heat and now Tammy … More

Ellipsis Points, or 4 Films Where Narrative Gaps Matter: “Ida,” “The Rover,” “Jersey Boys” and “Think Like a Man Too”

There are many ways to tell a story, and many ways to tell a story well. From classic Hollywood three-act … More

“22 Jump Street” – Too Much of a Good Thing . . .

22 Jump Street (Phil Lord/Christopher Miller, 2014) 22 Jump Street is a mix of many things: bromance, satire, sequel, college party movie; a … More

“How to Train Your Dragon 2” Is Sweet, Beautiful, and Predictable

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dean DeBlois, 2014) Let’s be clear about one thing: the latest animated feature from … More

Thanks to Emily Blunt, “Edge of Tomorrow” Makes Its Video-Game Aesthetic Work, Until It Doesn’t

Edge of Tomorrow (Doug Liman, 2014) So I’m late to the party on this review, and apparently missed seeing the … More

Midday on “Pulp Fiction” at 20: June 13 at 1pm on WYPR

[PLEASE NOTE: If you missed the show, you can still listen to the podcast.] In 1992, a then-unknown writer/director (and … More

“Maleficent” – Neither Malevolent Nor Magnificent

Maleficent (Robert Stromberg, 2014) The new Disney film that opens today, Maleficent, loosely based on the company’s very own Sleeping Beauty – which was, itself, … More