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12 Years a Slave, sure to be a heavy hitter when the 2014 Oscar nominations are announced, is a powerful and compelling adaptation of Solomon Northup's autobiographical account of the dozen years he spent as a slave on Louisiana plantations from 18...

Liam Neeson has enjoyed two careers as an actor. For many years, he was regarded as a “highbrow” thespian – one who preferred serious, artistic productions. Then, beginning with 2009’s Taken, he opted for the higher paychecks that acco...

Spoiler Alert: This review contains spoilers related to something that happens about mid-way through the movie. Although I generally don’t like revealing plot points, it would be difficult to present a meaningful discussion of the movie with...

It takes something lackluster like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to remind viewers why movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier are considered superior. In the superhero genre, it's too easy to become sloppy and fall back on clichés. The fifth S...

The term "godawful" should be used sparingly in connection with motion pictures. With Angels & Demons, however, it seems oddly appropriate. Not only does this prequel-turned-sequel to The Da Vinci Code make its predecessor seem like a masterw...

In the 1970s, Judy Bloom broke onto the scene with several popular young adult books. Later in her career, she added mature novels to her resume (with frank depictions of adult sexuality that shocked some who were familiar with her preteen-oriente...

As Good as It Gets is a perfect Christmas release, not because the story takes place during the Yule season, but because many of the plot elements are straight out of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. There's more than just a little Scrooge in M...

One of the longest films of the fall (both in terms of title length and running length) is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. It seems every bit as long or longer than its 160 minutes. Parts of the movie are brilliant in a ...

Of all the major comic book characters to transition to a less static visual media, none has been more mistreated than the Bat-Man. As originally envisioned by creator Bob Kane in 1939, Batman was a dark character who walked the tightrope between ...

For those who thought Man of Steel was dark, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Batman v Superman, the battle royale/team-up of DC Comics’ revered superheroes, is so bleak that the sun never seems to shine, the characters’ faces can’t form smiles, a...