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Spoilers follow, although those who have read the book won’t be bothered by them. Although The Girl on the Train is a serviceable thriller, it’s hard not to see it as something of a disappointment. As a B-movie whodunnit designed for f...
U.S. Release Date: 2016-10-07
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, ...
I have made my peace with an unsavory truth: the Hollywood of today is going to continue crafting live-action remakes of the animated films of yesteryear until they run out of material. Why? Because audiences like them – more often than not, the...
U.S. Release Date: 2025-06-13
MPAA Rating: "PG" (Violence)
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Dean DeBlois
Cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, ...
It's an axiom of the filmmaking industry that any time an animated movie shows a profit, it instantly becomes the foundation for a franchise. Unfortunately, when money drives creative decisions, it's like the cart pulling the horse. Take away the f...
U.S. Release Date: 2014-06-13
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: ANIMATED
Director: Dean DeBlois
Cast: (voices) Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, ...
The third (and likely final) installment of the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, The Hidden World, continues a trend that started with the previous film: muting adult-friendly content in favor of material with a greater appeal to kids. Althoug...
U.S. Release Date: 2019-02-22
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animated/Adventure
Director: Dean DeBlois
Cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, F. Murray Abraham, ...
I have occasionally wondered what Showgirls might be like if it was made by a female director. Perhaps Hustlers offers a glimpse of the tantalizing possibility. Existing close to the nexus of the oft-derided Paul Verhoeven film and Martin Scor...
U.S. Release Date: 2019-09-13
MPAA Rating: "R" (Sexual Content, Profanity, Nudity, Drugs)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Lorene Scafaria
Cast: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, ...
Never trust a serious drama that uses a line from a Dr. Seuss book as its title. I Am Sam (inspired by a line from "Green Eggs and Ham"), despite boasting interesting character relationships, stumbles and falls because of a storyline that consiste...
U.S. Release Date: 2001-12-28
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Jessie Nelson
Cast: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning, ...
In the Company of Men is one of those rarest of rare breeds -- a movie that doesn't just ignore Hollywood conventions, but openly flouts them. The film, which premiered to great critical acclaim at 1997's Sundance Film Festival, initially had trou...
U.S. Release Date: 1997-08-01
MPAA Rating: "R" (Sexual Situations, Profanity)
Genre: DRAMA/THRILLER
Director: Neil LaBute
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy, Stacy Edwards
In the Name of the King is a second-rate regurgitation of The Lord of the Rings. Everything about it, down to the set and costume design, apes Peter Jackson's epic trilogy. However, while The Lord of the Rings was a grand story of scope and power,...
U.S. Release Date: 2008-01-11
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: FANTASY/ADVENTURE
Director: Uwe Boll
Cast: Jason Statham, Leelee Sobieski, John Rhys-Davies, ...
In an era when movies are again turning to classic literature for inspiration, it was only a matter of time before a new version of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre reached the screen. One of the best-loved of all the Victorian novels, Jane Eyre combi...
U.S. Release Date: 1996-04-05
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Joan Plowright, ...