“Ender’s Game” had a difficult journey getting to the big screen. The author of the original novel, Orson Scott Card, refused to give up the rights to the film for decades due to creative differences. But now that it was finally made, thousands of people vowed to boycott it due to Card’s homophobic views. Whatever his views might be,...
It seems the “Jackass” franchise is in constant pursuit of expanding its empire and outdoing itself in terms of crude, disgusting humor. In the film “Bad Grandpa,” Johnny Knoxville whips out old man prosthetics and turns himself into Irving Zisman, a raunchy and perverted 86-year-old character who has appeared in previous “Jackass” features. Instead of Bam Margera or Steve-O...
“The Fifth Estate” is not a masterful display of cinematographic execution, nor is it a nail-biting thriller. However, it is important because it presents a story that challenges the morality of its audience. The WikiLeaks movement has revolutionized the future of journalism and placed even further doubt in the transparency of the national government. The film’s writing and a...
When Tom Hanks is billed as a lead for an emotionally challenging film, it has generally been a recipe for success in the past two decades. When he was cast as Captain Richard Phillips in “Captain Phillips,” moviegoers couldn’t wait to break out the tissue box for another ride. Sadly, Hanks’ new project as the heroic captain falls flat...
If you can’t take joy in gratuitous violence and boobs, you probably won’t find much pleasure in “Machete Kills” — but you should already know that going in. After all, this is a sequel to a movie that was just an expansion of a fake trailer in the midst of the Rodriguez-Tarantino “Grindhouse” films, which were themselves parodies of...
Amidst a post-summer binge of big-budget movies, director Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” combines all the entertainment of a blockbuster with a sense of intensity and intimacy rarely achieved in highly touted films. The result is a superb movie that not only uses crisp texture and haunting audio effects to bend the viewer’s imagination, but also challenges moviegoers to examine the...
Director Ron Howard’s newest film, “Rush,” garnered hype for the better part of the past year as fans eagerly awaited to be immersed in riveting controversy and a lot of fast cars. Howard’s film delivers on expectations, as his blend of sound, stunning visuals and a Formula One racing storyline entrances viewers.
“Rush” is based on the 1976 battle between...
When FilmDistrict brought director James Wan (“Saw,” “Dead Silence”) on board for “Insidious” (2010), his prior work with visceral, stomach-churning gore inspired optimism among fans for a well-made possession movie to revitalize the horror genre. Though Wan didn’t deliver with “Insidious,” he did bring casual fans across America a good, albeit tame, thriller. This time around, Wan took “Insidious:...
Since coming out with “Monsters, Inc.” in 2001, Pixar Studios has come a long way. The studio that had already begun to be known for its prestige in beautiful animation and unique storytelling soon rocketed to nearly unanimous critical acclaim. It is partly because of this acclaim that their latest effort, “Monsters University,” is good, but not great. It...
The Fresh Prince crash lands on Earth and sends the Karate Kid to save both their skins. In many ways, that would have made a more engaging story than what audiences saw in “After Earth,” which comes across as a heavy-handed father-son narrative between Will and Jaden Smith. Most of the dialogue is so on-the-nose it hurts, the special...