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(500) Days of Summer is a romantic comedy for those who don't often like romantic comedies. Or, to put it another way, it's for those who appreciate the emotions but are unenthusiastic about the clichés and formulas that contribute to the cookie-...

12 Rounds is the unholy stepchild of Die Hard with a Vengeance and Speed, starring a man whose lack of range makes Steven Seagal seem nuanced by comparison. John Cena is so wooden that one worries about his being in scenes with fire for fear that ...

The reason "body swap" movies (in which someone's mind is transposed into a different body) are so popular is because they are ripe with potential. Unfortunately, that potential is rarely reached. Productions like Big and Prelude to a Kiss are th...

If, as is believed in certain fringe circles, the world will come to an end in 2012, at least there will be no more movies like this one made. Perhaps the strangest thing about 2012 is that the bad parts of the film are among the most enjoyable, b...

Perhaps it says something about the nihilistic perspective of modern society, but the post-apocalyptic story is becoming a popular genre; not since the height of the Cold War have movies been so obsessed with the end of civilization. No longer res...

Under the best of circumstances, a relationship demands work and nurturing. Like a plant, it must be carefully tended after it sprouts and guided to maturity. Neglect can cause it to wither or become stunted or overgrown. Adam chronicles the rela...

More than 30 years ago, the template established by Animal House for college age comedies became a recognized standard. However, although the Animal House approach is a good way to get cheap laughs, it falls apart when anything more substantive is...

I admire filmmakers who take chances and defy expectations. Admittedly, that sort of thing doesn't always work, and there are flaws aplenty in After.Life, but the criss-crossing between drama, thriller, and horror is nothing if not arresting. It ...

Air Doll is the third film I have seen in the past four years about a sex doll (following the low-budget horror movie Love Object and the considerably more sophisticated Lars and the Real Girl), and it's easily the most sublime of the three. I have...