Movies starring Pat

Sometimes with horror movies, it's all about tone. The apprehension and dread one feels while watching a good horror film cannot easily be manufactured and some filmmakers incorrectly believe that gore and special effects pave the path. The Innkeep...

If there's a complaint to be made about Insidious, it's that the film's second half is unable to live up to the impossibly high standards set by the first half. This isn't unusual when it comes to films that include a "reveal"; even Jaws lost a sha...

Insidious: Chapter 2 illustrates that, regardless of his past success in the horror movie field, James Wan is not infallible when it comes to the genre. The second installment of what is likely to become a franchise is disappointing precisely becau...

“I wouldn't bet the mortgage on there being a Jack Reacher 2.” - James Berardinelli, December 2012 Shows how much I know. Even though Tom Cruise’s tarnished star is burning up in the atmosphere and it would be an exaggeration...

The Journey of August King is as close to a flawless motion picture as is likely to be produced by the film industry (independent or mainstream). Featuring strong acting, realistic set and costume design, an intelligent script, solid directing, an...

Keeping up with the Joneses (not to be confused with the better 2010 film The Joneses) is a paint-by-numbers, creatively bankrupt “comedy” emerging from a studio system that has largely forgotten what it means to be genuinely funny. Lazil...

Regardless of the genre, there’s an art to making a successful family feature. It involves crafting a storyline that’s straightforward enough to engage younger viewers yet sufficiently sophisticated that it keeps the attention of the paren...

It’s clear that director Judd Apatow is comfortable collaborating with stand-up comedians on projects that contain at least some autobiographical details. The King of Staten Island represents his third such film, following in the wake of Fun...

Robert Frost famously wrote, "Good fences make good neighbors," and that's one of the first phrases that comes to mind while watching Lakeview Terrace, the latest thriller from Neil LaBute. LaBute began his filmmaking career with the scathing In...

Lars and the Real Girl is an example of how even the most ridiculous premise can be used to construct a smart, touching motion picture. The film sounds like it was developed with Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell in mind, but the key here is that, while...