Many actresses seek to prove their acting chops by removing their makeup, frumping their wardrobes, and otherwise de-emphasizing their most glamorous assets in roles that call for them to emote high drama while being noble. In BAD TEACHER, Cameron Diaz slathers on the eyeliner and lipstick, hikes her tight skirts to dizzying heights, and wipes… Read More »
ZOOKEEPER
The annoying thing about ZOOKEEPER isnt that its a bad movie, though it is, and a very bad one at that. The annoying thing is that Kevin James in the title role is so very good. It sets up a damnably uncomfortable tug-of-war between hating the flick and yet enjoying the work that James does… Read More »
OUR IDIOT BROTHER
OUR IDIOT BROTHER, profane title notwithstanding, is a liltingly transcendent comedy. The humor, character-driven and smart, is pointed, but delivered compassionately. And this is perfectly in keeping with the esoteric underpinnings at play here. The eponymous character, Ned (Paul Rudd), is not so much the hero of the piece as the Holy Fool, a hippie… Read More »
HORRIBLE BOSSES
Some men are born great, some men have greatness thrust upon them. Nick, Kurt, and Dale (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day), the three schlubs at the center of HORRIBLE BOSSES fall in the latter category. Sort of. As the heroes of a subversively prescient black comedy, they are the quintessential little guys rendered… Read More »
MUPPETS, THE
THE MUPPETS have always had a sweetly subversive humor about them. They were never mean spirited, but when they were at their best, the jokes were sharp with a rollicking sense of the absurd and a keen sense of characterization. Jason Segal, co-writer and co-star of the latest Muppets vehicle, has homed in on exactly what gave… Read More »
THE SITTER
There is in Jonah Hill a palpable undertone of menace. When playing his usual lovable schlub, or especially when playing a character such as the titular CYRUS, who may or may not actually be unhinged, there is always the distinct potential lurking in the piercing gaze when his character stops talking, that the next move… Read More »
PROJECT X
A man and his son have a significant moment as a crane lifts the formers Mercedes from the family swimming pool. How the car got there, and the impact of how it got there on the relationship that father and son will have with each other and with the world at large from that moment… Read More »
21 JUMP STREET
There is a palpable love for the original television series in 21 JUMP STREET. A love that encompasses both the premise and that premises lack of credibility. As in, a group of police officers going undercover in various high schools in to infiltrate the illegal doings there, and bring the perps to justice. It was… Read More »
A THOUSAND WORDS
There is something almost poignant in the way Eddie Murphy so palpably desires to make a meaningful film about enlightenment. The almost comes from the difference between that aspiration and the painfully ill-conceived follow-through in A THOUSAND WORD. This is not Murphy’s first attempt to explore the spiritual side of the human experience. There was… Read More »
ANALYZE THAT
Robert De Niro appeared in THE GODFATHER II, so he might be forgiven for thinking that all sequels are at least the equal, if not the better, of the original. Billy Crystals sequel to CITY SLICKERS, CURLEYS GOLD, didnt embarrass anyone, and so, he, too, might conclude that sequels are never an insult to the… Read More »
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