LET THE MYSTERY UNFOLD. After the death of her mother, Clara (Mackenzie Foy) ends up in a magical world where she learns that not everything is what it seems… This 3D reimagining and combination of the 1816 story and the 1892 Petipa/Tchaikovsky ballet looks gorgeous, but the stunning technical details can’t conceal the fact that … Continue reading The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
TERROR IS BUILDING. In 1906, doctor Eric Price (Jason Clarke) is hired to visit Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren) and assess her mental state; the widow of a famous gun manufacturer has spent years overlooking the seemingly never-ending construction of a mansion in San Jose, California. The Spierig Brothers may know how to put together an … Continue reading Winchester
THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE NEVER ENDS. California resident Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren) hires young attorney Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) to help her retrieve Gustav Klimt’s painting ”Woman in Gold” from Austria; a portrait of her aunt, the Nazis stole the painting from her family. A reality-based story about a significant battle over artwork that reached … Continue reading Woman in Gold
NEW ROADS AHEAD. The old team is rounded up one more time for a top secret government mission, but they’re all seemingly betrayed by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) who’s working with a new dangerous foe (Charlize Theron)… The eighth chapter in the Fast and the Furious saga has a razor-thin story for a movie as … Continue reading The Fate of the Furious
After arriving in France, an Indian family start a restaurant across the street from a posh eatery run by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) – who doesn’t appreciate the competition. Lasse Hallström returns to the same kind of pleasantries that made his Chocolat (2000) enjoyable – romance, a few laughs, lovely locations and tasty treats. Every … Continue reading The Hundred-Foot Journey
WELCOME TO THE NEW FRONT LINE. As a group of terrorists are clearly preparing for a suicide bombing in Nairobi, Kenya, a multinational group of military officers, politicians and lawyers argue over whether to send a drone-guided missile their way. After breaking through with Tsotsi (2005), director Gavin Hood had trouble finding his place in … Continue reading Eye in the Sky
SCHOOL NEVER LOOKED THIS SCARY. This prequel to Monsters, Inc. (2001) takes us back to school; the story has our two monstrous heroes meeting for the first time as students attending Monsters University. They take an instant disliking to each other, but are forced to work together as a team when they’re close to getting kicked … Continue reading Monsters University
EVERY SECRET COMES WITH A PRICE. In 1997, a few aging former Mossad agents are still revered by their countrymen for killing a WWII war criminal in the 1960s, but they share a less flattering secret… A remake of the 2007 Israeli movie Ha-Hov that hasn’t changed much of the original story. We follow the … Continue reading The Debt
THE BEST NEVER REST. Just as he’s settling down with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) once again finds himself in danger; soon, they’re both joining old friends in the search for a mysterious Cold War-era weapon. This sequel to Red (2010) pales a bit in comparison and begins to resemble an Expendables movie, … Continue reading Red 2
THERE’S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE. Former CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is targeted by a team of killers, but escapes; he subsequently gathers old pros and goes after those responsible for the attack. This adaptation of a graphic novel may lack the kind of visual flair that most have, and it also has a … Continue reading Red
THE TRUTH IS SOMEWHERE IN THE MIX. When the highly respected playwright David Mamet announced that he would be making a TV movie for HBO about the Phil Spector case (the legendary record producer was sentenced to prison in 2009 for the shooting death of an actress), one hoped for greatness. What we got was … Continue reading Phil Spector
BEHIND EVERY PSYCHO IS A GREAT WOMAN. Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) is on top of his game, but when he decides to turn a real-life story about a deranged murderer who shared a bed with his dead mother into a movie, he’s in for a challenge. The story of how Psycho (1960) risked ending the … Continue reading Hitchcock
NO WORK. ALL PLAY. Billionaire’s son Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) is about to be forced into a loveless marriage with Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner) as part of a deal to secure the future of the family business… but he falls in love with a kooky New York City tour guide (Greta Gerwig). In this remake … Continue reading Arthur
