GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF
Alex Gibney has proven himself an able and engaging documentarian, bringing to light with films such as TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM, and … Continue reading
Al Pacino Exalts THE HUMBLING
THE HUMBLING is a throwback to a time when attention spans were longer, characters were created out of complex and even contradictory behaviors, and the story was an extension of … Continue reading
Julianne Moore is STILL ALICE
It starts with a slip so small, so subtle, that it goes unremarked by everyone present. At the birthday celebration for Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), her rejoinder to a question … Continue reading
MORTDECAI is DOA
Sneaking into theaters without benefit of a press screening, MORTDECAI is a tragically unfunny attempt at lighthearted comedy. Based on the novel “Don’t Point that That Thing at Me” by … Continue reading
Just Try to Resist PADDINGTON
There is a certain trepidation that accompanies any screening of a film released in January. This is the graveyard of films that failed to meet studio expectations, but that for … Continue reading
TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN (Zhì qu weihu shan)
THE TAKING OF TIGER MOUNTAIN has blood, guts, and sentiment. Based on actual events, and on the novel by Bo Qu, it’s a sweeping epic of a war film set … Continue reading
THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHT — David Burris Interview on PRX
When I spoke with David Burris on December 18, 2014, one of the things I most wanted to talk to him about was getting the accents right in THE WORLD … Continue reading
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB — Not Worth Staying Up For
The best that can be said about NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB is that it is good-natured and harmless. This third in the trilogy has a whisper-thin … Continue reading
EXODUS: GOD AND KINGS and Missing the Mark
All involved in EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS wanted to avoid the traditional motifs to be found in the biblical story of Moses leading his people out of the house of … Continue reading
THE HOMESMAN is Nearly Perfect
Tommy Lee Jones is a dour man, at least on screen. His carefully cultivated persona is a laconic one of few words and little patience. It is a character that … Continue reading
Killer Movie Reviews 