Screen
Cross-cultural animation
Five years ago, the Bristol, England-based Aardman animation folks — who created the stop-motion legends Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep and therefore are eligible for sainthood — made the digitally animated British/American co-production Flushed Away. Jam-...
High-octane hit
Faster is a throwback to the action films of the 1970s, from the production color schemes to the film stock and camera angles utilized by cinematographer Michael Grady. If you’re not familiar with classics like Shaft, The French Connection, Dirty Harry, Enter the ...
Talking twinkies
The Lego Movie being somehow good ruined our ability to completely dismiss a film’s concept upon first hearing it. Who knows, maybe Minions would be infused with the same cleverness, the same all-ages wonder and fun? In the first 10 minutes, a pillshaped living ...
‘Chipmunks’ sequel should’ve been roadkill
"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel" is a kids...
Brutality depicted
New rule: You can watch Django Unchained as many times as you want, but you have to watch 12 Years a Slave at least once first...
Bungled burlesque
The choicest dialogue in Burlesque provokes the sort of laughter that other, intentionally funny films only dream of generating. Gather ’round for some free samples...
Singing on the ice
I admired much of the original Happy Feet (2006), but five years later, I’m still considering suing its makers for emotional distress...
When the system fails
The first 15 minutes of Kirby Dick’s new documentary, The Invisible War, contain a staggering opening salvo...
Race scar drivers
Here in ’Murica, when we watch cars go round in circles while Kid Rock’s “Bawitaba” plays in the background, we have the decency to let the walking billboards who are driving vehicular billboards have a roof on their car. That way, they only die sometimes, as opposed...
Geneticists and horror
Equal parts Species and The Savage is Loose, the eccentric and crafty new thriller Splice isn’t for audiences who require strong, noble rooting interests in their questing protagonists of science. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, neither of whom make it a habit to ...
‘Fury’ is missing fast
Inside of writer/director David Fury is “we will hold this line” war movie populated with complex characters and surprisingly good performances. Problem is, it was slipped into the carcass vAC of a dirty, confused, overly serious, inconsistently grotesque snoozer in...
