Search for 2013
There's something delightfully old-fashioned about Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects. It's the kind of thriller that Alfred Hitchcock might make if he was still alive and active today. It never seeks to do too much with the premise nor does it go ov...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-02-08
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: THRILLER
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, ...
Someone please get director Ric Roman Waugh a tripod! Snitch might be a passable action-thriller but it's hard to say because every time an action scene comes along, the image shakes so badly it's impossible to keep anything in view or focus. Those...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-02-22
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: THRILLER
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, ...
Potential Spoilers: I reveal a little more about the plot than I normally do in reviews, primarily because I want to discuss the way the film progresses during its second half. There are no big "reveals" in the review - it's not the kind of movie t...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-08-02
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: James Ponsoldt
Cast: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, ...
When one considers the phenomenon of "Spring Break," images of bikini-clad young women, bronzed guys, and inhibition-shedding parties fill the mind's eye. In general, Hollywood has used Spring Break as a jumping-off point for comedies - some romant...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-03-15
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity,Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: DRAMA/THRILLER
Director: Harmony Korine
Cast: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, ...
Spoiler Alert: This review contains spoilers. Not earthshattering plot revelations, but hints that might dampen the virgin's pristine viewing experience. Proceed with caution if this sort of thing concerns you. In moving to the future, J.J. Abra...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-05-15
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION/ADVENTURE
Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, ...
Stoker is deliciously demented, and that's a good thing. This twisted coming-of-age tale takes us into Carrie territory without the supernatural element. It wends its way along an unpredictable narrative trajectory with a warped sensibility that of...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-03-01
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity,Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: DRAMA/THRILLER
Director: Chan-wook Park
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, ...
The first half of 2013 was a strange time for movies. Coming after the amazing final two months of 2012 - easily the best 60 days ever in my 21 years of reviewing - anything was bound to be a disappointment, but a fall this far was unexpected. The ...
We start every year the same way: a countdown ushering out the old, a kiss, a song, and best wishes for the next twelve months. Some years fulfill the promise that exists at 12:01 on January 1; many do not. It takes 365 days to make a determination...
By the time September arrives, This is the End will probably be in the running for "funniest comedy of the 2013 summer." The end-of-the-world comedy packs more humor into its 107 minutes than many other contenders (Hangover III and The Internship, ...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-06-12
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Violence, Drugs, Nudity)
Genre: COMEDY
Director: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Cast: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, ...
Thor: The Dark World offers the kind of straightforward action/adventure yarn that adherents of the genre will appreciate. It's an example of superhero filmmaking 101 at work with high octane fights and special effects-fueled eye candy trumping nar...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-11-08
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Director: Alan Taylor
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, ...