Movie Reviews

Review: 'Unfinished Song' Starring Gemma Arterton, Terrence Stamp & Vanessa Redgrave

There is a certain strain of mid-budgeted British comedy -- films like "Calendar Girls," "Made In Dagenham," "Greenfingers," "The Full Monty" etc. -- that generally tends to find an audience on both sides of the ocean, makes a modest profit, and then lands on specialty cable where it lives on in rer...

L.A. Film Fest Review: 'Four Dogs' Is A Refreshingly Real & Funny Take on Hollywood & Friendship

The debut directorial feature from Joe Burke, “Four Dogs,” could be aptly subtitled, “Down and Out in Hollywood,” as it centers Oliver (Oliver Cooper), on a struggling actor, and his acting class buddy, Dan (Dan Bakkedahl). But in actuality, the Hollywood struggle story is really only a surface conc...

Review: 'A Hijacking' Is A Detailed, Gripping & Powerful High-Seas Hostage Tale

As exciting as it can be to be part of the audience at the first public screening of an eagerly anticipated film – the new Paul Thomas Anderson or Terrence Malick, the new Rian Johnson or David O. Russell – perhaps the purest pleasure that can be found is that of a new discovery. Picking something t...

Review and Roundup: Stakes are High on Brad Pitt's 'World War Z' UPDATE

The stakes have never been higher for the Hollywood studios as Paramount finally releases Brad Pitt and Marc Forster's beleaguered $200 million zombiepocalypse epic "World War Z" (June 21). Critics are divided (see below). Yes, "World War Z" is a zombie movie. And we have no idea if Paramount will m...

Review - 'Dark Girls' Seeks To Bring About Healing Via Discussion Of A Deep-Rooted Issue

Review: 'Maniac' Remake Starring Elijah Wood

Of course Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur, the dirtbag auteurs that turned Joe Dante's gleeful "Jaws" send up "Piranha" into "Piranha 3D," a hilarious, excessively violent screed about American over-indulgence, would spearhead a remake of 1980's "Maniac," a notoriously misogynistic Bill Lustig h...

Ryan Coogler Gets To The Heart of Human Portrayal In 'Fruitvale Station' (LAFF 2013 Review)

“He didn’t like to be left alone.” Oscar Grant’s mother Wanda, played superbly by Octavia Spencer, delivers this line in one of the most compelling scenes in the film. It is a detail, that when considered in the context of the story, hits us on all sides, and most importantly, in the heart.

L.A. Film Fest Review: 'Mother, I Love You' Is A Fine Addition To The Canon Of Latvian Cinema

Not many films get made in Latvia every year, so the chance to see one is a rarity and with a film like “Mother, I Love You” (“Mammu, es Tevi milu”), it’s also a treat. Directed by Janis Nords, the film tells a fairly simple story in a very sophisticated way, proving the too-often forgotten truth th...

Review: 'Bert And Arnie’s Guide To Friendship' A Slight But Winning Romantic Comedy With Four Solid Performances

Remember these names: Matt Oberg, Stephen Schneider, Anna Chlumksy (if you grew up in the nineties, you already know her), and Cristin Milioti. They are the stars of the horribly titled “Bert and Arnie’s Guide To Friendship,” a new indie that is a bit slight, often funny, mostly likable, and importa...