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Bad title, good movie
Forty-five minutes or so into Tower Heist, the question arises: Is this movie with the title of purest generica — was “Stealing Money” taken? — truly good, or simply less bad than most of what director Brett Ratner has done previously...
Three’s a charm
If Toy Story 3 had sprung, Slinky Doglike, from any creative think tank besides Pixar Animation Studios, it might be considered a classic. As is, it’s a good sequel to the 1999 Toy Story 2 and the 1995 original. After a rather shrill and conventional first half, ...
Poorly timed gun fetishization
Slipping into a funk while watching half of Los Angeles get shot up in the second half of The Green Hornet, I was struck by the sheer unluckiness of this film’s timing...
Temporarily funny
I like Jay Baruchel. He’s the 21st-century Don Knotts, and even in a forgettable film like She’s Out of My League — its title alone secures it a place in film history alongside She’s All That and She’s Out of Control — Baruchel’s adenoidal, sidewinding line ...
Company bust
A single spontaneous moment pops up in the otherwise obsessively well-ordered ensemble drama The Company Men, written and directed by ER and West Wing alum John Wells. It’s a quick shot in a hotel room tryst of Maria Bello bopping back into frame, unexpectedly, ...
Object of my Affleck-tion
It’s easy to thrill people when they don’t know what’s coming. OK, maybe not easy — paging Mr. Shyamalan — but certainly less difficult than whipping up tension in a film based on a decades-old actual incident, the resolution of which is but a Google search away. ...
Special effects addicts only
If you’re a fan of special effects and seek entertainment on the big screen, a few hours of escape and some righteous butt-kicking and loud explosions, and if you’ve already enjoyed Transformers and have forgiven Michael Bay for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen...
reel to reel | Week of July 12, 2012
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER No more sensitive, sparkly vampires — Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter takes bloodsuckers back to their grisly origins as terrifying monsters. In the film’s universe, Southern slave owners are vampires, and President Lincoln is the one...
I Kent believe it got better!
Superman is lame. Fight it all you want to, DC Comic loyalists, but there’s a reason people cheer whenever Batman bests him. Consumed by a fetishized, flag-waving patriotism that makes his status as a full-fledged illegal alien somewhat hilarious these days, Superman...
Nolan delivers again
Inception is one of the most complicated stories I’ve ever seen on the big screen, but if you can figure out what’s going on, it’s an amazing movie filled with mind-boggling visuals and an intriguing exploration of the subconscious. It might also be the best movie ...
