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