A New Out-Of-Left-Field Awards Contender — 1 Mother, 1 Son, 1 “Room”
OCTOBER 27, 2015 No one saw “Room” coming. At this year’s Toronto Film Festival, all the talk was about the Oscar bait, films that use the festival to launch…
Film Review
Reviews of big budget Hollywood films
Guillermo del Toro’s Creepy “Crimson Peak” is Absolutely Gorgeous and Just Nuts
OCTOBER 20, 2015 In Mexican cinema circles, they are known as “The Three Amigos.” Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro came up together in the Mexican…
“The Walk” in 3D — 90 Minutes of Routine Drama, Then Pow!
OCTOBER 19, 2015 I was living in New York in 1974 when Philippe Petit made his famous walk on a wire between the two towers of the then-new World…
Johnny Depp Gives a Steely Performance in the Otherwise Forgettable “Black Mass”
OCTOBER 9, 2015 As a transplant from New England to Southern California, I was stunned in 2011 when I heard that James (don’t call him Whitey) Bulger, the legendary…
With an Unsettling View of the War on Drugs, the Thrilling “Sicario” Is One of the Year’s Very Best
OCTOBER 7, 2015 The first five minutes of “Sicario” are among the most suspenseful I’ve experienced in a film in years. An FBI Special Weapons & Tactics unit, led…
Matt Damon Heads a Stellar Cast in Ridley Scott’s Rousing Space Adventure “The Martian”
OCTOBER 5, 2015 Have I got a movie for you. It’s about a U.S. astronaut who finds himself stranded alone on the Red Planet who must use his wits…
“Everest” in IMAX 3D — The Visuals Soar, But Its Script Remains Stubbornly Earthbound
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 There’s a scene early in Baltasar Kormakur’s mountaineering adventure “Everest” set at the base camp where we see members of 20 different climbing teams knocking into one…
Redford & Nolte’s “A Walk In the Woods” Feels More Like a Trudge
SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 Paul Newman & Robert Redford reunite in “A Walk in the Woods.” That was a dream project of Redford’s and one that he kept alive until Newman’s…
“Straight Outta Compton” More Than Your Usual Musical Biopic
AUGUST 18, 2015 I suppose it’s encouraging that a whole new generation of pre- and young teens know Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. What is not so hopeful is that…
Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” Preposterously Entertaining
AUGUST 3, 2015 Does Tom Cruise have a death wish? He’s 53, and seeing him hang off the side of a jetliner as it’s taking off, it does make…
