Search for John

Filters:
Sort by:
Bug's Life, A

It's almost a shame that A Bug's Life is debuting so close in the wake of Antz (although, to be fair, the latter film was the first to enter production). No matter when the Pixar/Disney production reached theaters, comparisons between the two comp...

Run Time: 1:35
U.S. Release Date: 1998-11-25
MPAA Rating: "G" (Nothing Objectionable)
Genre: ANIMATED
Director: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton
Cast: (voice) Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ...
Burke and Hare

The infamous tale of two 19th century Scottish murderers, William Burke (Simon Pegg) and William Hare (Andy Serkis), might make for a dark, compelling drama. Or, with a little more focus on the gore, it could be a period piece horror movie. But a ...

Run Time: 1:31
U.S. Home Release Date: 2024-02-29
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Gore, Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Director: John Landis
Cast: Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher, ...
Call of the Wild, The

Note: some spoilers discussing differences between the book and movie.I’ll admit to being disappointed by the newest adaptation of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The motion capture technology that creates a dog out of the efforts of a...

Run Time: 1:40
U.S. Release Date: 2020-02-21
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Adventure
Director: Chris Sanders
Cast: Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Bradley Whitford, ...
Call, The

Note: This review contains spoilers. It isn't possible to discuss the full breadth of The Call's stupidity without providing some specifics. Labeling The Call as "relentlessly dumb" would be an overestimation of its intelligence. This is as br...

Run Time: 1:34
U.S. Release Date: 2013-03-15
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: THRILLER
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut, ...
Candyman

At the time of its October 1992 release, I wrote the following about the original Candyman (which was directed by Bernard Rose based on a story by Clive Barker): “Candyman is one of the most intelligent and chilling movies to grace the scree...

Run Time: 1:31
U.S. Release Date: 2021-08-27
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Gore, Profanity)
Genre: Horror
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Toyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, ...
Canyons, The

The Canyons opens with still photographs of crumbling, disused movie theaters - multiplexes that, as recently as a decade ago, might have been bustling sites of human congress on weekends and holidays. These images have little to do with the story ...

Run Time: 1:40
U.S. Release Date: 2013-08-02
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Sexual Content, Nudity, Profanity, Violence)
Genre: DRAMA/THRILLER
Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, James Deen, Nolan Funk, ...
Captain America: The First Avenger

It's fair to say that superhero saturation has set in. Not many years ago, every cinematic version of a comic book protagonist's adventures was awaited with baited breath. Now, because of an unceasing and sometimes careless flood of such titles, ma...

Run Time: 2:05
U.S. Release Date: 2011-07-22
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Director: Joe Johnston
Cast: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, ...
Cars

Thus far, Pixar has given features and voices to bugs, toys, monsters, and fish, so why not cars? Although Cars is arguably the weakest animated feature to emerge from the virtual drawing board at this successful company, it's also the best animat...

Run Time: 1:52
U.S. Release Date: 2006-06-09
MPAA Rating: "G" (Nothing Objectionable)
Genre: ANIMATED
Director: John Lasseter
Cast: (voices) Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, ...
Cars 2

Seen in Disney 3-D. It was bound to happen: a dud for Pixar. Making a sequel to 2006's Cars was always something of a head-scratcher. The original movie, while possessing a certain charm, was among the studio's least inspired efforts and the dea...

Run Time: 1:45
U.S. Release Date: 2011-06-24
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: ANIMATED
Director: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
Cast: (voices) Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, ...
Casa de Mi Padre

Whatever Will Ferrell may or may not be, one can never accuse him of lacking balls. The decision to release Casa de Mi Padre, Ferrell's latest starring vehicle, entirely in Spanish with subtitles, will be an acid test as to whether the actor's popu...

Run Time: 1:26
U.S. Release Date: 2012-03-16
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: COMEDY
Director: Matt Piedmont
Cast: Will Ferrell, Genesis Rodriguez, Gael Garcia Bernal, ...