“Moonrise Kingdom” begins with a narrator informing the viewer—among other geographical details about a small New England island—that a cataclysmic storm once hit this idyllic coastline in the summer of 1965, around the time the story takes place. This coming storm creates a sense of impending doom that permeates Wes Anderson’s latest film, as if […]
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“In the Family,” the debut feature of writer/director/actor Patrick Wang, pulls off the elegant task of being a film that is political, but not politically charged. This small, but vital distinction–the difference between a work that enlightens and a work that lectures–is the staple of the movie’s success. Too many filmmakers, especially first-timers, are so
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Like the recent “Cabin in the Woods,” John Gulager’s “Piranha 3DD” proves that merely drawing attention to the cheap shortcomings of the horror genre does not equate to intelligently parodying them. Both films seem less interested in actual parody than the suggestion of parody — as if by consciously spewing garbage, the filmmakers will be
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Would it surprise you to learn that Kristen Stewart makes an unconvincing military leader? The fact that I can even start a review of “Snow White and the Huntsman” that way cements the film’s status as one of the summer’s more peculiar would-be hits. Stylistically, the film pushes no particularly eccentric boundaries, but one can
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While never vile like the recent “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” John Madden’s “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is another reminder that a good “intersecting stories”-style ensemble movie is nearly impossible to make. Here is a film that boasts a capable director, a fine cast of British actors, and a beloved source novel. But
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After nearly four years absent from the big screen, Will Smith decided to make his return with a sequel no one asked for. “Men in Black 3” could practically be imagined by anyone blessed with an ounce of imagination, and until the third act, that’s about what we get. The first film was a smash
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Most Hollywood films are made for profit, not artistic reasons, but rarely do they make their financial motives as transparent as Kirk Jones’ “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” does. The film’s desire to win ticket-buyers, rather than admirers is evident in every element of its existence, right down to the title — which, taking
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Peter Berg’s “Battleship,” “based on” the board game, is the sort of film that contains the caption “Hong Kong, China,” as if to remind the viewer that the events aren’t unfolding in the rival Asian metropolis of Hong Kong, Nebraska. The caption is an indication of just how low the film’s sights are set, made
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“God Bless America,” the latest film from stand-up comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, has a story that could have been told from a compelling angle. Joel Murray stars as Frank, a middle-aged man with nothing to lose, who goes on a murderous rampage, offing “scum of the earth” targets like Bill O’Reilly, a spoiled girl featured on
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Sacha Baron Cohen is perfectly capable of going after hard targets. And that’s the biggest disappointment about “The Dictator,” which at times suggests he’s going soft. Certainly, the gags are profane, vulgar, and habitually dedicated to annihilating good taste. But the edge that drew blood in both “Borat” and “Brüno” is dulled to harmlessness. Then
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