‘Lucy’ Combines Solid Execution With A Weak Script

Synopsis: Luc Besson directs Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic. Release Date: July 25, 2014     MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre(s): , Film Review Production One of the fun facts […]

Coming Soon: Chernobyl Diaries

Oren Peli is the man to thank, or blame, depending on your preferences, for the found-footage phenomena’s that are the Paranormal Activity movies.  He directed and wrote the first of the franchise, and has stayed on as writer for all three of the sequels (Paranormal Activity 4 is due in theatres Fall 2012).  He also […]

‘Out Of The Furnace’ Displays Complicated Trauma, And Unexplainable Evil

Synopsis: Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has a rough life: he works a dead-end blue collar job at the local steel mill by day, and cares for his terminally ill father by night. When Russell’s brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) returns home from serving time in Iraq, he gets lured into one of the most ruthless crime rings […]

Somewhere

Synopsis: You have probably seen him in the tabloids; Johnny is living at the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood. He has a Ferrari to drive around in, and a constant stream of girls and pills to stay in with. Comfortably numbed, Johnny drifts along. Then, his 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) from his failed marriage […]

‘The Overnight’ Doesn’t Quite Find The Right Balance Between Humor And Heart

Synopsis: Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Release Date: June 19, 2015     MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre(s): Comedy, Film Review Production After Patrick Brice’s first […]

LA Film Fest: ‘Caterpillar’ (‘Kyatapirâ’) (d. Wakamatsu Kōji, 2010)

One of the most satisfying things about film festivals can be the sidebar of retrospectives or, in the case of the LA Film Festival, the intermittent “Films That Got Away”. There was only one such this year, but it was a good one – Wakamatsu Kōji’s follow-up to United Red Army (2007), and his penultimate […]

Choose Bullets Or Love In ‘The November Man’ Teaser Trailer

With the release of The November Man‘s first trailer one thing is certain: one must choose between love or bullets.  Pierce Brosnan returns to action-movie form in The November Man, based on the best-selling novel by Bill Granger, “There are No Spies,” with Brosnan playing the titular character Peter Devereaux.  With the release of The November […]