This is the not the first time that Disney has tried to cinema-ize its Haunted Mansion attraction. That perennial favorite got the film treatment 20 years ago with Eddie Murphy heading an indifferent story and a sentimental subplot that I found to be more interesting than anything involving Mr. Murphy. Alas, this latest attempt fares… Read More »
MARRY ME
MARRY ME falls into the category of mostly harmless. As a rom-com, it shadows its inspiration, NOTTING HILL, at a respectful distance in an exercise tailored to showcase its star/co-producer Jennifer Lopez as an actress and a singer fond of sparkly outfits. It’s bright, shiny, and no more serious than its premise of a superstar… Read More »
MARMADUKE
MARMADUKE is the completely uncalled for screen adaptation of the durable syndicated comic by Brad Anderson and Phil Leeming. The comic is a daily one-panel deal that shows the difficulties of large dog ownership encountered by a family with a Great Dane, the eponymous Marmaduke. Screenwriters Tim Rasmussen and Vincent Di Meglio sought to expand… Read More »
LITTLE FOCKERS
There is in LITTLE FOCKERS barely a trace of the spark that made MEET THE PARENTS interesting. Ben Stiller as the husband and Robert DeNiro as the father still antagonizing one another over oddly placid wife/daughter Terri Polo has run out of what little steam it had left after MEET THE FOCKERS. Stiller and De… Read More »
I SPY
Leaving aside I SPYs misogynist subtext that casts women as either mindless playthings or castrating bitches, lets focus on the real problem. Instead of bouncing along on farce and the chemistry of its co-stars, it chugs along bravely on its formula track to mediocrity. Its not particularly bright, either, so really, the only thing to… Read More »
HALL PASS
There is in the epilogue of HALL PASS a reminder of how gloriously demented a Farrelly Brothers movie used to be. Stephen Merchants hopelessly repressed character is offered the eponymous break from married life and imagines a series of interludes that grow more ridiculous and more dire with a geometric progression that ends in a… Read More »
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
The only real misstep in Woody Allens MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is, unfortunately, in the opening montage that shows the City of Lights progressing from morning to evening. While there is no denying that this is a city of seemingly limitless picturesque vistas that range from the familiar to the novel, Allen is entranced by too… Read More »
THE BIG YEAR
Birds are sublime creatures. THE BIG YEAR, a film about the birders who rabidly pursue a sight or sound of them, is not. Based on the book of the same name by Mark Obmascik, it is a flat pastiche of painfully clichéd moments strung together around the theme of three guys competing for the honor… Read More »
THE INTERNSHIP
Google is a company for which innovation and original thinking are integral. THE INTERNSHIP, set at Google, is the exact opposite. A good-natured enough flick, it is, nonetheless, obvious, predictable, and painfully low on actual laughs. That last wouldnt be such a problem if it werent putatively a comedy. It gets worse. Starring and co-written… Read More »
SHANGHAI KNIGHTS
It is always with a mixture of trepidation and resignation that yours truly approaches the cinematic sequel. Sure, there was GODFATHER II and THE WRATH OF KHAN, but for the ones that hit, there are a gazillion that miss so big that one’s faith in the filmmaking community is sorely tested. I’m pleased to say… Read More »