Review: 'Moonrise Kingdom'
by Peter CanaveseWriter-director Wes Anderson has faced criticism of his films being fussily repetitive. Though his new film "Moonrise Kingdom" is nothing if not fussy, it's his freshest, breeziest...
View ArticleReview: 'Rock of Ages'
by Tyler HanleyMusicals are something of an acquired taste, and "Rock of Ages" is more cheeseburger than lobster bisque. Although Tom Cruise's magnetic performance in itself almost makes the movie...
View ArticleReview: 'Dark Knight Rises'
by Peter CanaveseAll the world's Gotham City in Christopher Nolan's ambitious Batman trilogy, which comes to an emphatic conclusion with "The Dark Knight Rises." The Cecil B. DeMille scale of the film...
View ArticleReview: 'The Watch'
by Peter CanaveseDespite the amusing verbal riffs in "The Watch" (most of them from still-got-it motor-mouth Vince Vaughn) and expert delivery from all four leads, having its main characters both ways...
View ArticleReview: 'The Imposter'
by Peter CanaveseAtheists argue that most people's need to believe a comforting fantasy trumps rational thought. Maybe, maybe not, but the new documentary "The Imposter" showcases a monumental case of...
View ArticleReview: 'Ruby Sparks'
by Peter Canavese"Ruby Sparks" proves it's something special by being unafraid to follow its premise to a dark place, the dream turning into a nightmare. In a way, there's as much "Frankenstein" to the...
View ArticleReview: 'Hope Springs'
by Peter CanaveseThe master class in acting put on by Meryl Streep and the pitch-perfect Tommy Lee Jones is the big draw here. The movie's countercultural commitment to character and performance is...
View ArticleReview: 'The Bourne Legacy'
by Peter CanaveseMeet the new Bourne, same as the old Bourne. That's the impression left by "The Bourne Legacy," a would-be franchise refresher in which Jeremy Renner grabs the baton from Matt Damon....
View ArticleReview: 'ParaNorman'
by Susan TavernettiNorman sees dead people, but he doesn't tremble like Haley Joel Osment of "The Sixth Sense." Instead, the 11-year-old greets the deceased like old friends in directors Sam Fell and...
View ArticleReview: 'Celeste and Jesse Forever'
by Peter CanaveseTill now, the premier divorce comedies have been to some degree mean-spirited. But screenwriters Rashida Jones and Will McCormack have devised a kinder, gentler divorce comedy in...
View ArticleReview: 'Robot & Frank'
by Peter CanaveseThe Bard wrote that drama's purpose was to hold "the mirror up to nature," a notion given a high-tech spin in Jake Schreier's "Robot & Frank." Cold-staring with a black, reflective...
View ArticleReview: 'Hit and Run'
by Peter CanaveseGearheads unite! Others disperse. To paraphrase the archetypal patrolman, there's nothing to see here in "Hit and Run," a chase comedy from Dax Shepard. Nothing, that is, but a lot of...
View ArticleReview: 'Compliance'
by Peter CanaveseFair warning: "Compliance" will make you squirm. This psychodrama of ill-advised behavior may leave you feeling dirty as well, for what you've watched helplessly and perhaps for what...
View ArticleReview: 'The Words'
by Peter CanaveseIdentity theft gets a fresh spin in "The Words," an ensemble drama exploring moral crimes in the literary sphere. Despite the Russian-nesting-doll structure, "The Words" is a fairly...
View ArticleReview: 'The Master'
by Peter CanaveseThe film's unequivocal pleasures are Mihai Malaimare Jr.'s photography (shot on rare, extra-sharp 65mm film), brilliant period production design by David Crank and Jack Fisk, and the...
View ArticleReview: 'Trouble with the Curve'
by Tyler HanleySlogging through the first 75 minutes of "Trouble with the Curve" is akin to watching a scoreless baseball game that doesn't get exciting until the ninth inning. But several solid...
View ArticleReview: 'Frankenweenie'
by Peter CanaveseBy reaching back into his own past and movie history, the recently fumbly Tim Burton has gotten a grip with "Frankenweenie." -- PC
View ArticleReview: 'Taken 2'
by Peter CanaveseObviously, no one goes to "Taken 2" for an allegory of international relations, and it should be said that the picture plunks down 90 stupid but ruthlessly efficient minutes. -- PC
View ArticleReview: 'Argo'
by Tyler HanleyIn 2010, when I reviewed Ben Affleck's sophomore directorial effort, "The Town," I wrote: "Ben Affleck is all grown up." Affleck doubles down on that statement with his third -- and best...
View ArticleReview: 'Seven Psychopaths'
by Peter CanaveseAs written and directed by playwright Martin McDonagh, "Seven Psychopaths" investigates the absurdity of Southern California, where movie crime shares real estate with real crime. -- PC
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