Movies starring Anna Kendrick

Up in the Air is a wonderful little film (the word "little" being relative, of course). It was the best thing I saw at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, and it stand up as well away from the peculiar atmosphere of the festival as it di...

It does not follow that a parody has to be funny but, in the case of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the humor is there. A clever send-up of comic book and video games (circa 1990), this movie illustrates that writer/director Edgar Wright can rise to...

The problem with End of Watch, a gripping police drama, is director David Ayer's stylistic decision to shoot nearly the entire movie tripod-less. Or, to put it another way, there's a whole lotta shakin' going on. Much of End of Watch could almost f...

In the terrorist-busting business, perception is more important than reality. That’s the thesis of Christopher Morris’ blistering black comedy, The Day Shall Come, and he delivers the message with the subtlety of a jackhammer. The most dis...

Movies about characters suffering from cancer are nothing new. Tales of dying individuals have won Oscars, built reputations, and sold millions of boxes of tissues. Finding a unique niche in this crowded field is a challenge, but director Jonatha...

The Accountant is a superhero movie. Despite not being based on an existing comic book (a welcome change), the film has all the beats and tropes we have come to expect from superhero movies, although the R-rating makes it more of an adult experience ...

Rocket Science is the feature debut of director Jeffrey Blitz, whose previous big-screen exposure was with the documentary Spellbound. In that one, Blitz looked at the highly competitive world of spelling bees. In this one, he places his fictional...

There’s a trick to doing a psychological thriller right. Hitchcock understood it. So did Chabrol and the Coens. Paul Feig, however, needs to brush up a little more on his technique. Tone is one of the biggest problems with A Simple Favor, a...

Woman of the Hour is the based-on-a-true-story tale of the so-called “Dating Game killer” whose appellation resulted from his appearance on the 1970s TV show, The Dating Game. As directed by Anna Kendrick, Ian McDonald’s screenplay does a go...

Into the Woods left me out in the cold. The long-gestating cinematic adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's fairy tale-infused Broadway musical, Into the Woods can claim a clever screenplay and a few enjoyable performances but little else. The generic ...