A funny thing happened at the megaplexes last summer. That was when Fast Five debuted, and unexpectedly crystallized the formula of what had to that point been a very formulaic franchise. The restraints came off, any last remaining vestiges of logic were shed, and a ragtag group of action heroes were assembled with Avengers-esque grandeur for … Continue reading
The latest entry into the long-running Star Trek franchise finds the series still boldly going, though not quite where no one has gone before. When the reboot movie Star Trek was released in 2009, it re-invigorated the franchise and left its future wide open; Star Trek Into Darkness sees it backtrack a bit a recover what … Continue reading
Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce’s gaudy adaptation of The Great Gatsby hits all the high points but plumbs few of the depths of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel. It’s a cartoon take on the classic novel of one man’s collision with the American dream during the Roaring Twenties, and much like its characters it … Continue reading
A rare threequel that finds new ground to till rather than a rehash of what came before, Iron Man 3 proves that not only is there life after The Avengers, there’s still plenty of mileage left in the tanks of superhero-themed movies. The early buzz has proclaimed it to be the best Marvel movie yet; … Continue reading
Writer-director-actor-polymath Shane Carruth’s abstract, fearless, and utterly absorbing Upstream Color doesn’t reinvent cinema, but it does remind us what cinema can do when we are willing to put ourselves at the mercy of a filmmaker’s vision. Abstract, mesmerizing, allegorical to the core, and willing to forge its own structure for the sake of telling a … Continue reading
Director Joseph Kosinski made a tepid debut 2010 years ago with stylish but hollow sequel Tron 2.0. There is just as much style in his latest science fiction spectacle, but at least this time around it’s in the service of a high-falutin story that isn’t afraid to inject a little mystery into a well-worn but … Continue reading
Director Danny Boyle’s first feature film since 127 Hours (2010), the sleek and sexy but slightly flawed psycho-thriller Trance is Inception by way of Billy Wilder’s Charade. An occasionally too-convoluted slice of neo-noir, it is nevertheless a fun ride that reminds us to be careful when digging into dark questions, lest we be unfortunate enough … Continue reading
An alarmist tale of the inherent amorality and apathy lurking in the cyber-world, Disconnect tells what we already know in a way we’ve already seen. Henry Alex Rubin’s Crashian ensemble drama bites off more than it can via three interlinked plot threads: a grieving woman (Paula Patton) and her emotionally distant husband (Alexander Skarsgard) become the … Continue reading
The remake of Sam Raimi’s cult classic The Evil Dead is, well, actually kinda surprisingly not bad. There — we said it, and the statement is either heresy or a relief, depending on one’s feelings on the subject. After all, fans have been split over the merits of the project ever since it was announced; … Continue reading
A sprawling tale of fathers and sons told across generations, Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines aims high, compromises rarely, and falters just a little. Cianfrance and co-scripter Ben Coccio (Zero Day) structure their novel-like tale as a triptych of sorts, beginning with an impressive tracking shot that opens the film and introduces Luke … Continue reading
