Latest Film Reviews

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I.O.U.S.A. (2008)

A clear-headed and comprehensible picture of American fiscal policy, but one that's not in the least boring.
Redbelt (2008)

An allegory of what's wrong with our country...Mamet has spent the last decade layering popular entertainments with subversive ideas about social politics.
Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Preserves a time when one could not only get away with making an allegory with an existential hero, but stock it with an ensemble from the Actors Studio.
The Perfect Storm (2000)

An expertly crafted Hollywod entertainment...[constructed] as a series of grippingly fateful 'moments of truth.'
End of Days (1999)

The plot is such hooey...and the plot holes so gaping that End of Days proves more exasperating than enjoyable.
U-571 (2000)

[Both] a rousing action thriller...[and] near-parody of the rah-rah American military adventures that filled screens in the '40s and '50s.
Nixon (1995)

A convincing blend of Shakespearean tragedy and Citizen Kane, Nixon paints the thirty-seventh President of the United States as a uniquely American tragic hero...
The Rocker (2008)

Utterly predictable, formulaic, but not entirely unamusing.
Justice League: Season One (2001)

A surprisingly consistent level of quality and creative energy...put the loveably corny Super Friends in its place.
House, M.D.: Season Four (2007)

The risk paid off: not only does the show still work, but it's more spontaneous than it's been since the series debuted.
Street Kings (2008)

Competent but fatally lacking in the element of surprise.
Camp Rock (TV) (2008)

[A] derisive discussion of 'stupid cookie-cutter pop star stuff' is more than a little ironic in this Radio Disney petri dish, but at least the Jonas Brothers are a class act.
Brand Upon the Brain! (2007)

Captures an artist in love with his art, but not so preciously that he forgets to share the love.
In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2008)

The confluence of events allows the film to arrive somewhere that may not be original, but feels honest...at other times, the film seems to be chasing the same old indie dragon of quirky escapades that can be shot on the cheap.
A Man Named Pearl (2008)

One of those hidden treasures of the art house that it's your duty to seek out.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Perhaps the greatest compliment to be paid to Vicky Cristina Barcelona is that it serves as a spot-on emblem of Allen's own life philosophy: cling to the transient pleasures, as you're bound to be let down in the end.
Fly Me to the Moon (2008)

Only the 3D process helps to dispel the impression that what you’re seeing lacks wit and is completely generic in terms of characters and 'humor.'
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Redundant, boring, and not terribly attractive in telling a story more suited for the Junior Fiction shelves of your local library than the screens of your local multiplex.
Maximum Risk (1996)

The energetic action isn't quite enough to overcome an undernourished story.
CJ7 (2008)

He knows he's the hundredth director to rip off E.T.: he's just going to do it better, and with jokes fit for a vintage Warner Brothers cartoon.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles—The Complete First Season (2008)

The series has a solid cast, stylish production values and, under its belt, a season that demonstrates great potential.
Tropic Thunder (2008)

Lazarus' cliched idea of a black man is funny in itself...but Downey's immersive take on the immersive actor is pure genius.
South Park—The Complete Eleventh Season (TV) (2007)

Season Eleven had a crappy front seven and a strong back seven, though the season is defined by the heavily promoted three-parter "Imaginationland"...
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (DTV) (2008)

Demonstrates Neumeier's ambition, but this budget-constrained rush job winds up not much more politically biting than a Mad magazine spread.
XXX: State of the Union (2005)

So full of self-aware speechifying, howlingly bad verbal pissing contests, and audacious bulls**t plotting that it almost flies as a parody of itself. Almost.
Beowulf (2007)

A worthy cinematic adaptation, with interesting and provocative mythic ideas of its own, and suprisingly lyrical images to match.
Top Gun (1986)

A movie for adolescents, and adults who willfully decide not to know better for a couple of hours.
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

Explores the rapture and torture of desire, and the tension between harsh reality and escapist fantasy.
Man on Wire (2008)

Engrossing...the great irony of the story is its triumph of the visionary individual over authoritarian bureaucracy.
Starship Troopers (1997)

Insanely subversive...functions as a visually dazzling science-fiction action picture, a philosophical challenge, and a hilarious, incisive comedy.
Bottle Shock (2008)

As for the inevitable fudging of fact, it doesn’t bend the true story to its breaking point—on balance, Bottle Shock is an entertaining tour of wine country.
Patriot Games (1992)

Ford gives one of his most commanding performances outside of a Lucas production, establishing an action formula Ford would repeat...
The Hunt for Red October (1990)

As for the film's suspense credentials, you know it's time to get tense when James Earl Jones intones, 'Mother of God.'
The Sum of All Fears (2002)

Though this political adventure requires substantial suspension of disbelief, the witty script and mature approach keep the film on track.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)

Provides a strong showcase for four deserving actresses and healthy lessons for an underserved audience of girls and young women.
Pineapple Express (2008)

Despite its rusty mechanics and hodgepodge of tones, Pineapple Express convincingly imitates the mode of Midnight Run: on-the-run odd-couple comedy with gunplay and car chases.
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008)

A latter-day Abbott and Costello flick, where the monster they encounter isn't Frankenstein, but the Bush Administration.
Nim's Island (2008)

Overplayed: there are entirely too many beaming smiles and emotional flip-outs...the only reason to see this movie is Foster, whose overplaying somehow succeeds at charming where her costars fail.
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)

'This night is about the American dream,' Kumar promises. And you know what? It sort of is.
Lonesome Dove (TV) (1989)

Remains the gold standard for the TV miniseries format...stands among the best Western films ever made.

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