Search for 2014

For the most part, movies are obsessed with the notion that romantic love lasts forever. That explains the popularity of romantic comedies, most of which conclude with a declaration of undying affection, sealed with a kiss. Only a few brave direct...

Divergent is the “next big thing,” or at least so hopes Summit Entertainment. The latest in a growing stream of high-profile YA (Young Adult) sci-fi/fantasy series to make it to the big screen, Divergent is poised to take its place alongside Th...

Dracula Untold purports to relate the origin of how the world's most famous vampire became the creature we all know and fear. Unfortunately, Gary Shore's film suffers from narrative issues and problems of execution. Some of these are likely beyond ...

Draft Day is a sports movie that's almost entirely about the business of sports as opposed to what transpires on the field. This isn't the first film to make that claim - Jerry Maguire and Moneyball were more about the goings-on in the front offic...

Most films about gangsters focus on those at the top of the criminal food chain - the bosses, dons, and godfathers. For the majority who work in and around organized crime, however, the lifestyle isn't easily romanticized. The Drop puts the bottom-...

What propels filmmakers to make a sequel to a 20-year old film? Is it nostalgia for the brand of comedy that characterized the original? Is it desperation on everyone's part to revive flagging careers? Or is it Hollywood's acceptance that recogniz...

I suppose it would be fair to characterize Earth to Echo as an homage to E.T. Or at least I assume that's what director Dave Green and screenwriter Henry Gayden were going for: a gentle throw-back to the kinder sorts of science fiction films of t...

As improbable a concoction as it might seem, Edge of Tomorrow is a curious mix of ingredients from the 1993 Harold Ramis/Bill Murray comedy, Groundhog Day, and James Cameron's 1986 sequel to Alien. An Earth-versus-aliens tale set in the near future...

When The Equalizer arrived on television in the 1980s, it was notable for two things: being the first Reagan-era show to lionize vigilantism and presenting an "advocate" who broke the Curtis Sliwa-inspired stereotypes. Edward Woodward's Robert McCa...

Exodus represents Ridley Scott's attempt to emulate Cecil B. DeMille. Comparisons with The Ten Commandments are both unavoidable and appropriate. Considering the mixed critical reaction to the 1956 spectacle, it is perhaps surprising that Exodus co...