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Since this is a thriller, there must be a twist. One goes into a movie like The Number 23 with this expectation. However, not only is the twist telegraphed early but it is presented in a clumsy and unconvincing manner. Other films have employed ...

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is essentially Homer's "The Odyssey" by way of the Coen Brothers with an assist from Preston Sturges (the title comes from the Sturges film, Sullivan's Travels). Or, to put it another way, it's a period piece road movie ...

I have never been a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's phenomenally popular stage musical version of The Phantom of the Opera, so it will probably come as no surprise that the film adaptation, which is faithful to its inspiration, left me feeling underwh...

Phone Booth became one of a number of post-9/11 films to fall victim to an increasing reluctance on the part of motion picture studios to release movies where on-screen events echo real-world tragedies. Joel Schumacher's thriller was originally se...

It's very easy to wax poetic about the sport of baseball, and I'm not just talking "Mighty Casey has struck out." Baseball may not be the most popular sport in North America, but it has a history and mythology like no other. The giants of past er...

Masters of audacity, the Coen Brothers continue to amaze with their versatility and, unlike many who have achieved success, they have shown no inclination to slip into a comfortable groove. When one scans their joint resumes, it becomes apparent t...

Note: I consider this review to be “spoiler-lite.” Although there are no overt revelations of things that can’t be learned by scanning published cast lists or watching the trailer, if you don’t want to know anything about the movie, co...

It's so easy to go wrong with a film like this. So easy to tart it up with sentiment, to turn up the mawkishness to an "11." For an example of how badly wrong this sort of thing can go, just think Patch Adams, where the manipulation never stopped c...

Wow. Just wow. Every year, movie theaters bring us their share of surprises – both good and bad. Suburbicon goes immediately to the front of the line of contenders for the most disappointing film of 2017. George Clooney, the Coen Brothers, M...

Miramax owes a debt to New Line Cinema. In order to facilitate Jackie Chan's long-overdue breakthrough in the American market, New Line spent a lot of money hyping Chan's Rumble in the Bronx, taking great pains to make sure nearly everyone who ...