If I could sum up my thoughts into one movie poster-friendly blurb, it's that "Wall*E" sets a new standard for computer animation. The look and feel of the film combines the clean, state of the art prowess of Pixar with the...
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If I could sum up my thoughts into one movie poster-friendly blurb, it's that "Wall*E" sets a new standard for computer animation. The look and feel of the film combines the clean, state of the art prowess of Pixar with the painting-like majesty of the early Disney animated features. Luckily, the style goes hand in hand with the substance of the movie; once you get past the usual sci-fi sociopolitical rhetoric, the movie is heartwarming, sentimental, and effortlessly expresses itself with emotions rather than words.

In a way, I don't think I have anything to say that hasn't already been said- "The Dark Knight" is a smart, 150-minute thrill ride carried by a mesmerizing performance from the late Heath Ledger. On the other hand, I have to give props...
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In a way, I don't think I have anything to say that hasn't already been said- "The Dark Knight" is a smart, 150-minute thrill ride carried by a mesmerizing performance from the late Heath Ledger. On the other hand, I have to give props to Aaron Eckhart for his portrayal of "white knight" DA Harvey Dent; equally assertive and meek, Dent's transformation in the last third of the movie is forceful without becoming cartoonish. The primary good guys (Batman, Dent, Lt. Gordon) form an uneasy yet fascinating id-ego-superego relationship, but you can't deny that Ledger steals the show. If this movie has a flaw, it's Christian Bale's performance as Bruce Wayne; outside of the Batsuit, the crimefighting millionaire is one part blandly handsome and one part brooding whiner. As the Caped Crusader, however he's eerily dynamic.

As a movie, "Mamma Mia!" is deeply flawed, but the fun, peppy soundtrack almost salvages this mess. Having seen the superior stage production in Chicago five years before the movie was released, I was impressed by how faithful the first...
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As a movie, "Mamma Mia!" is deeply flawed, but the fun, peppy soundtrack almost salvages this mess. Having seen the superior stage production in Chicago five years before the movie was released, I was impressed by how faithful the first hour of the film was to the original show. From there, the wheels fall off: one principal character disappears from the movie for almost 20 minutes; scenes are re-arranged and extra musical numbers are shoehorned in; the original, ambiguous ending is scrapped for something that wants to give the audience unnecessary closure. On top of that, Pierce Brosnan is an awful singer, and the choreography is little more than flailing your arms for five minutes at a time. Nevertheless, ABBA gave the world some damn good music, and for the most part the movie justifies the band's oeurve.

I only have a passing knowledge of the Jarmusch oeurve, so I treated this film as a compilation of vignettes with similar themes rather than compare to his other works (I've never seen "Stranger Than Paradise" or "Down By Law"...
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I only have a passing knowledge of the Jarmusch oeurve, so I treated this film as a compilation of vignettes with similar themes rather than compare to his other works (I've never seen "Stranger Than Paradise" or "Down By Law" and I'm almost ashamed to admit that). It's an uneven and sometimes stagnant affair; where RZA and GZA are confounded by an incognito Bill Murray to great comic effect, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits are incredibly boring and in the most disappointing way. Luckily, the "good" segments outnumber the "bad" 7 to 4. My favorite vignette is also the longest, as Steve Coogan and his supposed cousin Alfred Molina take aim at Hollywood egos in the course of 16 leisurely paced minutes. This is not for casual movie fans, but it should appease Jarmusch fans and pretentious art-house freaks alike.

I tend not to watch the same movie multiple times, but if "Forrest Gump" is on TV, there's a good chance I'll watch it. It's an uplifting story without being too syrupy or sentimental; a tall tale with a distinctly Baby Boomer backdrop....
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I tend not to watch the same movie multiple times, but if "Forrest Gump" is on TV, there's a good chance I'll watch it. It's an uplifting story without being too syrupy or sentimental; a tall tale with a distinctly Baby Boomer backdrop. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright give wonderful performances, but Gary Sinise is a scene-stealer as the figurately and literally wounded Lieutanent Dan. It's a good popcorn movie on top of being an excellent character study.

I had the pleasure of receiving a pass to see a screening of "Lambs for Lions" before it hit theaters, and I ultimately decided that this movie was worth analyzing:

This movie has three running storylines: the first one...
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I had the pleasure of receiving a pass to see a screening of "Lambs for Lions" before it hit theaters, and I ultimately decided that this movie was worth analyzing:

This movie has three running storylines: the first one involves a veteran journalist (Meryl Streep) landing a one-hour interview with Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise), a Republican Senator from Illinois whose war-mongering has all the conviction of a used-car salesman. The second storyline is about Professor Stephen Malley (Robert Redford), a poli-sci professor at an unknown California university, and a privileged but gifted student (newcomer Andrew Garfield). Connecting the two plots is the story of buddies Ernest and Arian (Michael Pena, Derek Luke), two former Malloy students serving in Afghanistan.

The movie's message is that war is futile and the importance of acknowledging sacrifice, but the overall effort feels muddled and uninvolving. Cruise's character is ambitious but smarmy, but it's obvious early on that even he's completely oblivious to what the war's really about; he's not the villain, but rather a dutiful henchman for something much bigger. Redford's breakthough with frat boy Garfield tries to circumvent nearly every teacher-student cliche you find but only partically succeeds in bringing something insightful to the table. The action in Afghanistan, on the other hand, is probably the weak spot of the movie; it's underdeveloped, one-dimensional and embraces everything you'd come to expect from watching two soldiers fight for their lives in unbearable circumstances.

A fourth parable is established in the last half-hour of the film, one that explores how American society seems to obsess with pointless celebrity news and avoid the "ugly," relevant information that really matters. Oddly enough, the best performance in the film wasn't from either of the three headliners but rather Kevin Dunn, who plays Streep's boss at a cable news outlet. What he had to say about "the system" and the double-standard presented by today's media spoke volumes.

In the end, what works in this movie cancels out its flaws, but overall the film never excels at anything. At best, it's a powerful movie with a meaningful agenda, but at worst it's an uninvolving civics lesson with explosions. Questions are asked, some of them thought-provoking, but there's no answers and very little new to say. The ending is somewhat ambiguous, but I don't think anything else would've suited the story.

Watching this movie was unlike any cinematic experience I've ever had; even after I finished watching I spent the rest of the day obsessing over every move I made without even blinking. I give my regards to Alek Sokurov for all the time and effort...
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Watching this movie was unlike any cinematic experience I've ever had; even after I finished watching I spent the rest of the day obsessing over every move I made without even blinking. I give my regards to Alek Sokurov for all the time and effort he put into orchestrating (figuratively and literally) this wonderful piece of art. To anyone who wants to see this film, you'll be entertained on top of receiving a wonderful lesson on Russian history and culture.

Upon entering the movie theater, I had just as many high expectations as I had concerns for "The Simpsons Movie." Rumors of a theatrical feature had been swirling since I was in grade school (I'm 23 now), so seeing this movie finally...
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Upon entering the movie theater, I had just as many high expectations as I had concerns for "The Simpsons Movie." Rumors of a theatrical feature had been swirling since I was in grade school (I'm 23 now), so seeing this movie finally come into fruition made me really giddy. On the other hand, would the big-screen execution be just as flat and underwhelming as the show has been in recent years? After seeing the movie, I'm leaning towards the "giddy" factor.

I'm giving this movie a positive review because I felt that what was funny overshadowed what didn't work. Let's start with the "pros": the first half-hour of the movie was Springfield as its best; outside of an unfunny cameo by Green Day, nearly every gag at the beginning of the film connected. Even the Homer/pig metaphor was entertaining to watch, and Ralph Wiggum was probably given his funniest line in years. On the other hand, the film takes a turn into existential whimsy about two-thirds through the movie, and even though it was a crucial plot point, that just didn't flow with the goings-on. The socio-political satire at the core of the plot was underdeveloped but still worth a few laughs. Overall, The Simpsons' first theatrical feature was a joy to watch, in spite of some minor shortcomings; in fact, I would go as far as to say that this movie almost made up for how uneven the show has become in recent years... almost.

I'll be honest with you- I didn't watch the movie, but I did listen to it. Why, might you ask? Because the direction and cinematography is horrific, almost amateurish. By today's standards, it's almost like watching a 88-minute YouTube clip....
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I'll be honest with you- I didn't watch the movie, but I did listen to it. Why, might you ask? Because the direction and cinematography is horrific, almost amateurish. By today's standards, it's almost like watching a 88-minute YouTube clip. On the bright side, the music is incredible, and the digitally remastered sound almost makes up for the shoddy filmmaking.

Let me just say for the record that for a pornographic movie (hardcore in the '70s, but softcore by today's standards), it had a really witty screenplay. I rented this movie on a dare about a year ago, and it went beyond what miniscule...
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Let me just say for the record that for a pornographic movie (hardcore in the '70s, but softcore by today's standards), it had a really witty screenplay. I rented this movie on a dare about a year ago, and it went beyond what miniscule expectations I had going into the film. Claire Wilbur was droll as the female half of the swinger couple, though Lynn Lowry's deer-in-the-headlights look is unintentionally funny at the worst moments. "Score" is an obscure curio, but worth renting.

This was probably one of my favorite movies as a kid, and even today it still holds up. Of the four feature-length "Peanuts" movies, this is probably up there with "Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown" as the strongest, which I...
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This was probably one of my favorite movies as a kid, and even today it still holds up. Of the four feature-length "Peanuts" movies, this is probably up there with "Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown" as the strongest, which I credit to the improved Paramount animation and a surprisingly lucid screenplay. If you're looking for a kids' movie that won't annoy or bore the parents, this is a good place to start.

I've seen this movie three times and it gets sillier and sillier with repeated viewings. I still can't believe Columbia Pictures promoted this movie as a family film, and even though the coming-of-age love story is something that appeals to...
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I've seen this movie three times and it gets sillier and sillier with repeated viewings. I still can't believe Columbia Pictures promoted this movie as a family film, and even though the coming-of-age love story is something that appeals to audiences of all ages, this movie earned its "R" rating. Even the TV edit isn't much tamer than the uncut version.

As for the movie itself, the performances are to say the least laughable. Brooke Shields is completely uncomfortable her entire time onscreen, and the wooden acting of Christopher Atkins pretty much explains why his film career never took off. Heck, even Leo "Rumpole" McKern (in a key supporting role as the crusty old sailor that becomes the kids' reluctant father figure after the shipwreck) seems to be eyeing his paycheck from offscreen. On the other hand, the island scenery is beautiful, and I have nothing bad to say about William Daniels' overglorified cameo as Atkin's real father. After all, he is Dr. Mark Craig.