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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...

Evening, based on the 1998 bestseller by Susan Minot, is an example of a well-told familiar story. There are no surprises during the course of the film, which transpires across two time frames (1954 and 1998), but the strength of the screenplay an...

As their careers develop, many comedians yearn to cross over into serious dramatic roles, if only on occasion. This has happened with John Cleese, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, and Adam Sandler. Some are more successful than...

There's a prescription for making an effective dark comedy: the film must generate equal parts discomfort and laughter. The Ex offers plenty of the former but precious little of the latter. The movie is populated by dislikeable individuals doing ...

SPOILERS ahead…David Gordon Green got Halloween. When the celebrated indie director embarked on the project of creating a trilogy of disconnected direct sequels to the original 1978 film, he displayed a sure-handedness that surprised many people...

Eye of the Dolphin is a family drama that will appeal to anyone who likes movies with the hard edges blunted and the narrative bumps smoothed. There's real heart to be found in the story but it comes along with borderline saccharine sentimentality,...

Face/Off, the third English-language feature from acclaimed Hong Kong director John Woo, isn't the best movie of the summer, but it certainly features some of the best action. Woo, who is known and appreciated for his unique stylistic approach to ...

At one point in his career, Michael Moore made insightful movies – smart, thought-provoking films that explored often-polarizing subjects. Then, at some point after his 2002 documentary, Bowling for Columbine, Moore became more interested in ...

The primary goal of Fahrenheit 9/11 is obvious: offer evidence that President George W. Bush is an incompetent moron and that his administration is corrupt. One might argue that filmmaker Michael Moore does an adequate job of this, except that, to...

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the cinematic YA flame burned hot and bright but, like many such fires, it quickly exhausted its fuel and was snuffed out by fatigued and uninterested audiences. Although YA novels continue to generate health...