Just when the vampire craze was about to be put back into its grave, the film industry decided to bring it back with the film “Vampire Academy.” Based on the book series of the same name by Richelle Mead, the film takes place at St. Vladimir’s Academy, a Hogwarts-esque school where the Moroi — vampires who respect humanity —...
“The Monuments Men” was one of those movies that I went into with high hopes. Even with the troubling news that the release date was pushed back from Dec. 18 to Feb. 7, I still thought that the interesting premise and star-studded cast would be handled with the artistic grace that is expected of a man as talented as...
I tried giving “That Awkward Moment” at least some credit for attempts at originality by using a hashtag as its title — until the Internet told me this was apparently done in 2012. In a way, learning this made me happy, because it kept the movie from having any redeeming qualities. If it weren’t for the talent-laden cast that...
It’s honestly difficult to have high expectations when putting down money to see a movie called “I, Frankenstein.” Connotations of 2004’s futuristic flop-fest “I, Robot” aside, the title suggests nothing more than another movie that mistakes the name of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, calling him Frankenstein even though the good doctor never gave his creation a proper title. So, full...
January has always been the month for the entertainment industry to dump movies that they have very little faith in. Their hope is to make a profit through bored teenagers who are not interested in the Oscar buzz. In “Devil’s Due,” directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett tried to remake Roman Polanski’s horror classic, “Rosemary’s Baby.” However, even with...
The transition from successful comedian to movie star is a difficult feat. What used to be a shoo-in for superstardom is now something that makes or breaks your career, as many comedians have tried to make the giant step to film, but ultimately failed. Coming off the success of his groundbreaking stand-up shows “Let Me Explain” (2013) and “Laugh...
CIA analysis agent Jack Ryan is no new character to the world of film. In fact, “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is the fifth in the action-packed series to be produced. Based on a series of novels by Tom Clancy, the newest rendition takes an inventive form as the first film that is not based on one of Clancy’s stories...
“Are these feelings even real, or are they just programming?” In “Her,” the latest effort from director and writer Spike Jonze (“Where the Wild Things Are,” “Being John Malkovich”), Jonze examines how love works with and around modern — or in this case, near-future — technology. A moving script, striking visuals and standout performances allow Jonze to take a...
From haunted houses to witches, the creators of the “Paranormal Activity” series never know when to throw in the towel. Demonic presences in WASPy suburban neighborhoods get really old after four movies. However, in “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,” Christopher Landon, the writer and director for the previous films, decided to introduce some diversity and change the setting to...
For a while now, Disney’s been aching to recapture that string of commercial success and universal acclaim that characterized the Disney Renaissance of the 90s. The entertainment powerhouse tried here and there, be it through live action flops of “John Carter” and “The Lone Ranger,” or through the commercially successful but critically panned “Planes.” Thankfully for us, “Frozen” quells...