Paul Rudd headlines a top-notch cast in a family comedy that can't live up to its premise.
Review: 'Our Idiot Brother'
'Made in Dagenham' Infuses Labor Relations with Populist Verve (Review)
In 1968, London may have been swinging, but Dagenham, England was sweltering. The 187 women working in the machinists section of the Ford automobile plant would strip to bras and slips to deal with the heat as they stitched together upholstery for car seats. It wasn't easy work, but because Ford had recently re-classified it... Continue Reading →
'Rabbit Hole' Delivers Gut-Punch Drama (Review)
Grief is a river that flows everywhere at once. As tremendously kind and empathetic as it proves to be, the basic premise of "Rabbit Hole" may be off-putting. So let's describe it initially in these terms: a husband and wife must come to grips with the possible dissolution of their marriage, due to circumstances beyond... Continue Reading →
'Gulliver's Travels' Go Where No One Wants to Go (Review)
"We're the little people," Jack Black says to a fellow mail room employee in Rob Letterman's version of "Gulliver's Travels," which opens wide across the Metroplex tomorrow. Black is called Lemuel Gulliver in the film, a nod to the narrator of Jonathan Swift's savage satire, first published in 1726. Little else about the new version... Continue Reading →
'True Grit': Modern Cool Meets the Authentic West (Review)
It's the voice. Charles Portis created Mattie Ross in his novel "True Grit," first published in 1968, and it's the authentic voice of Mattie -- righteous, forceful, Scripture-quoting, judgmental -- that gives the story such a distinctive flavor. She's an old woman in 1928, writing about the events that occurred after her father was shot... Continue Reading →
'TRON: Legacy' Serves Up Rocket-Fueled Eye Candy (Review)
Rocket-fueled eye candy is a good thing in my book. "TRON: Legacy" delivers visual spectacle in abundance. Director Joseph Kosinski, making his feature debut, creates a universe of beautifully-etched stained glass windows. Is it thin on plot, characterization, and common sense? Yes. Do I care? No. In a perfect world, of course, "TRON: Legacy" would... Continue Reading →
'How Do You Know': The Pleasures of Neurotic Comedy (Review)
The push-pull of relationships has always been at the heart of films written and directed by James L. Brooks. He's never been a particularly visual artist, preferring to allow his words and characters to carry the weight of the drama and deliver the comic relief of his neurotic humor. From "Terms of Endearment" through "Broadcast... Continue Reading →
Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Falling into the vast middle ground between 'OK' and 'not bad,' The Sorcerer's Apprentice provides plenty of whiz without much bang. Oh, sure, many things go "Blam!" and other things go "Kablooey!" Hundreds, if not thousands, of objects fly through the air with the greatest of ease, and the heroic Nicolas Cage (as ages-old Balthazar)... Continue Reading →
Review: 'Despicable Me'
Delightful and droll, Despicable Me is also refreshingly modest. And it's fun. All animated films fall under the shadow of mighty Pixar, which has set the gold standard. But that doesn't mean that every animated film must follow the same pattern. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, Despicable Me is less story-driven and more... Continue Reading →
Dallas IFF: Sunday (4/18) – 'Casino Jack,' The Big Wrap-Up!
Ah, the runner stumbles even in film review. After what had been an almost perfect week of movie choices at the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival, I found myself wondering what had happened in those final moments, as I closed out my experience with one of the biggest (and most surprising) failures of the fest.... Continue Reading →
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