If a man smashes your kneecaps with a crowbar, can you really say he made you “feel something”?
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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
Category: Review
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Angels & Demons (2009)
The sequel to The Da Vinci Code is, confusingly, based off of the first book in the series, with a byproduct not common of genres sequels:
Perhaps take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I have seen less than half of the Coens’ filmography and never seen the acclaimed 1955 original, but I found more to like than dislike in The Ladykillers.
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The Polar Express (2004)
It’s one thing to be ugly. Plenty of decent movies aren’t all that great to look at.
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The Terminal (2004)
After reading several contemporary reviews of The Terminal I’m surprised that critics at the time did not note the single most distinct trait of the film:
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Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Sleepless in Seattle somehow still works despite a fundamental flaw in its script: The characters spend almost no time together!
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Philadelphia (1993)
Philadelphia is pretty much the best-case scenario for an Oscar-bait film: A movie, beneath its preachiness, that is beautiful, lovingly-made, and deeply-felt.
A League of Their Own is pretty close to the best possible version of itself: It is well-cast and well-directed. The lines are impeccably delivered. The tone is a just-right blend of cynical, smart, and sweet. It’s a big meal of comfort food even if it never quite ascends into greatness.
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Radio Flyer (1992)
Rose-tinted nostalgia shouldn’t be that difficult to nail: Find a non-horrible kid actor; pipe in a soundtrack of retro jams; spin some episodic coming-of-age shenanigans with a few “that wouldn’t fly today!” twists; and bring it home with a treacly voiceover about the “good ‘ol days.” Bam! Thumbs up!
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The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987)
You’d be excused for watching the opening five minutes of this movie and wondering if you just stumbled into some sort of lost Brian De Palma masterpiece that was too gaudy for its time.