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Calling a movie a “fairy tale” and having Julie Andrews provide “Once Upon a Time…” bookend narration are not sufficient reasons to abandon things like intelligent plotting and compelling character development. For years, various Disney ...

"[The Last Seduction] is a roller coaster of twists and turns. It is the classic film noir thriller, but it turns everything on its head. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, it does a twist into the unexpected. I'm a fan of the ...

Modern American society doesn’t value age. In ways that are sometimes subtle but often overt, we discriminate against those who have lived the longest and seen the most because they have lost prized traits: youth, vigor, and physical attract...

It’s a cliché to remark that “they don’t make them like they used to” but, in the case of Marty, it’s true. The simple, character-based romance is a thing of the past; even indie filmmakers rarely attempt it today. The first thing o...

I define a "boo!" moment as an instant in a movie when there is a loud sound, usually accompanied by a musical stinger and occasionally in concert with the fast pass of an unidentifiable object across a portion of the camera's field of view. The i...

Mrs. Miniver began life in 1937 as a series of newspaper columns in The Times - reflections by Jan Struther on everyday life in the U.K. With the onset of World War II, Struther's work took on a darker hue, and the columns were collected and publi...

Whenever a movie addresses the subject of a girl living alone on a desert island, the soft porn warning lights go on. So it may come as a bit of a surprise that Nim's Island is a family film in which no one considers skinny-dipping. What's more, i...

We don't get many idea-based science fiction films these days so, when one comes along, it represents a welcome change of pace from the fantasy space opera that has co-opted the genre. Despite being tarted up with enough action to stave off boredom...

Probably every review written of Observe and Report will mention, in one context or another, Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The connection is understandable: both are satirical looks at the trials and tribulations of life as a private security guard (a.k.a...