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Game Night is canny enough to go full-throttle with the absurd and not bother trying to do much with its meager dramatic and/or sentimental elements. Character-building occurs through the comedy and doesn’t extend beyond what’s needed to k...

Alfred Hitchcock used the term "refrigerator movie" to describe certain films. According to the great director, refrigerator movies are well-paced thrillers that work effectively while being watched, but fall apart upon later examination (whil...

To a younger generation, Richard Attenborough may be best known for his portrayal of John Hammond in Jurassic Park and its firsts equel. And, although a majority of Attenborough’s career was as an actor, he caught the directing bug in the 196...

Ingrid Bergman won her first Oscar for portraying Paula Alquist, the vulnerable, insecure heroine of George Cukor's diabolical, atmospheric thriller, Gaslight. Bergman, essaying a much different character from either of her last two roles (Maria ...

The typical Garry Marshall film (Pretty Woman, Raising Helen) can be classified by a few words: contrived, insipid, and predictable. Georgia Rule, while not the worst work Marshall has done, is a limp misfire. There are moments during the course ...

2014 has already seen one straightforward, largely unimaginative bio-pic of a '60s music icon (Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys) - now along comes another. Get on Up, like Jersey Boys, is more notable for its music than for anything else that ends up ...

The better you know movies, the more appreciation you'll have for the wit and energy of Barry Sonnenfeld's Get Shorty. While it's quite possible for the cinematically unaware to enjoy this film -- it's got a fair amount of readily-accessible comed...

In the world of comic books, there are A-list titles and B-list titles. For the movie adaptations, it's easy to tell the two apart. The B-list films feature characters who are not universally recognizable, typically do not command huge budgets, a...

1981’s Ghost Story, based on the bestselling novel by Peter Straub, is not a bad movie, especially for a horror film released into an era that was increasingly dominated by slasher movies. However, there’s a sense that the production not only ...

Ghost Town is one of those romantic comedies that never quite clicks. At times, its humor is effective, provoking chuckles and laughs. At other times, the comedy feels forced and awkward. The romantic element is equally hit-and-miss. The chemis...