“Furious 7,” directed by James Wan (The Conjuring), defies the stigma that racing films have to be devoid of heart and sentiment. This film provides ample amounts of style and substance, and pushes the envelope without trying to tackle on too much. Despite all the ostentatious set pieces and special effects, the film always stays human. In its basic...
“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is the aptly named sequel to the 2011 film, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” The first film tells the story of several elderly British people staying in an unimpressive but inviting hotel in India. This film builds on that by adding numerous romantic subplots and all the complications that go with them to...
Director Neill Blomkamp is at it again, attempting to mix social commentary with science fiction in his latest movie “Chappie.” It seems very promising, as Blomkamp returns to South Africa, the location where he filmed the underdog hit, “District 9,” and this movie boasts the same extraordinary visuals, soundtrack and environment. Unfortunately, he is just too ambitious with the...
What is Vince Vaughn still doing in movies? I mean, all that stuff he did in the early 2000s as part of the “frat pack” was over 10 years ago (“Starsky and Hutch,” “Dodgeball”). You would think the novelty of his wooden acting and monotone droll would have worn off by now. Regardless, Vaughn certainly can’t hold down a...
I’m sure that all of you reading this have come across the infamous “dress” picture that has been plastered all across social media since last Thursday. While I’m sure that it will have been forgotten by the time my words ooze off the page and into your eyes, with my cynicism filling your brain and replacing fond memories of...
Arriving straight from the gates of hell, “The Lazarus Effect” wreaks havoc on God-fearing fans of well-crafted horror films. In Blumhouse Productions’ new film, a team of ambitious medical professionals find a way to bring the dead back to life via a serum code-named Lazarus. When lead researcher Zoe (Olivia Wilde) dies in a lab accident, the team uses...
January and February are often poor months for moviegoers: Big studios release tawdry films while most of the country is holed up in heavy rain or snows. These movies can be so bad, one wishes that there was snow or sleet in Southern California so we need not put up with such terrible movies. Case in point: “Hot Tub...
Sometimes, a film is so formulaic that it becomes terrible. It’s a heavy-handed, predictable mess that plucks on your heartstrings like the world’s least accomplished violinist. I often have to remind myself, in trudging through the slew of video games, TV and movies that encompass my pop culture addiction, that many formulas are adopted, used and re-used into oblivion...
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” is a spy-action comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn based on the comic book “The Secret Service,” created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The film tells the tale of Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), son of a deceased secret agent who is part of an organization known as the Kingsmen, an order of secret...
It has been done. I went and saw “50 Shades of Grey” in a crowded room and didn’t get up to leave partway through. Let me preface this by saying that none of my interaction with the film would have happened were I not responsible for this review.
I fully expected this film to be so bad that I would...