Life Itself (Steve James, 2014) Documentary director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) began filming Roger Ebert five months before he…
In “Sex Tape,” Diaz and Segel Avoid Complete Disaster, So There’s That . . .
Sex Tape (Jake Kasdan, 2014) Wow! There is not a single “top critic” on the film review aggregator site Rotten…
“Begin Again,” oh “Chef” – Two Films About Keeping It Simple, Stupid (Sort of)
Better late than never, right? I finally got around to seeing two films that have been in theaters for a bit…
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…
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…
