Search for Ersa
By all accounts, both the director (Scott Derrickson) and star (Keanu Reeves) of this 2008 film are fans of its 1951 precursor. So what went wrong? At what point did this initially promising remake lose its way? After all, Robert Wise's science ...
U.S. Release Date: 2008-12-12
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION
Director: Scott Derrickson
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, ...
Daylight is an action picture without a villain. Frankly, it doesn't have much of a plot, either. Or characters, for that matter. In fact, the so-called dramatic elements of this movie are so shaky that you wonder if the filmmakers spent all o...
U.S. Release Date: 1996-12-06
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Disaster-Related Peril and Destruction)
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Rob Cohen
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, ...
While watching Dear Evan Hansen, I was reminded of the 1994 film I’ll Do Anything. Originally designed as a musical (with eight songs by Prince), the decision was made in the editing room to release the Nick Nolte vehicle as a straight drama...
U.S. Release Date: 2021-09-24
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Suicide, Mental Illness)
Genre: Musical/Drama
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Cast: Ben Platt, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, ...
Whether by coincidence or design, the three week period from August 20 through September 10 has been dominated over the last five years by Jason Statham. In 2004, there was Cellular. In 2005, there was Transporter 2. The 2006 entry was Crank, fo...
U.S. Release Date: 2008-08-22
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: ACTION
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Ian McShane, ...
Of the four major Vietnam war films made in the dozen years following the fall of Saigon, The Deer Hunter was the first and, in the minds of some critics, the best. (The other three being Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and Platoon.) Howev...
U.S. Release Date: 1978-12-08
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Director: Michael Cimino
Cast: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, ...
In spite of an awkward title and an uninspired choice for the leading man, Definitely, Maybe nevertheless manages to charm with its bittersweet story of love and loss that ends on an upbeat and romantic note. The movie starts out as one thing but,...
U.S. Release Date: 2008-02-14
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Sexual Situations)
Genre: ROMANTIC DRAMA
Director: Adam Brooks
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, ...
Seen in standard (non-IMAX) 3-D. 2010 has not been a vintage year for movies in general, but it has been an uncommonly good year for animated films. With Toy Story 3 leading the way, the latest crop of big screen animated fare has emphasized th...
U.S. Release Date: 2010-07-09
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: ANIMATED
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Cast: (voices) Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, ...
Despicable Me 2 feels like a opportunity to get together with some old friends, hang out, and discover what they've been up to. The movie lacks the high voltage wit of its predecessor but the breezy charm is still in place and, especially for kids,...
U.S. Release Date: 2013-07-03
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: ANIMATED
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Cast: (voices) Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, ...
Despicable Me 3 is an example of how even the most promising animated franchises can hit a wall if allowed to continue too long. One can understand why Universal greenlit this film. The previous two (or three if you count the spin-off Minions)...
U.S. Release Date: 2017-06-30
MPAA Rating: "PG" (Minion Nudity)
Genre: Animated
Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, ...
For a movie that was posited as one of 2024’s heavy hitters, Despicable Me 4 is strangely inconsequential, especially coming in the wake of the more substantive Inside Out 2. More of a “big screen cartoon” than a legitimate “animated featu...
U.S. Release Date: 2024-07-03
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animation
Director: Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Cast: Steve Carrell, Joey King, Stephen Colbert, ...