The Avengers ****1/2 Short Take: The soon to be all time box office champ is one movie that is actually worth all the hype although it’s about 30 minutes too long. Reel Take: If you haven’t gotten around to seeing The Avengers yet, don’t worry. It isn’t going anywhere anytimeContinue Reading
Blue Like Jazz ***1/2 Short Take: An indie faith-based comedy drama about a devout young man experiencing a crisis of faith, who puts his Christianity in the closet, while he attends a prestigious college. Reel Take: A few weeks back I heard a piece on NPR about a new nicheContinue Reading
John Carter *** Short Take: Disney’s $350 million “upgrade” of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars is a prime example of studio overkill that is poised to be the biggest money loser in movie history. Reel Take: In a lukewarm defense of John Carter, it was not as badContinue Reading
Bullhead ****1/2 Short Take: The disturbing but absorbing story of a cattle farmer, his ties to the Belgian ‘Hormone Mafia’ and his dark past. Reel Take: Nominated for an Oscar this year for Best Foreign Film, Bullheadis the disturbingly dark and absorbing story of two men tied by a childhoodContinue Reading
Contraband **1/2 Short Take: A former smuggler returns to his life of crime one last time to save a family member. Reel Take: Contraband, the American remake of a 2008 Icelandic thriller, sounds like a great vehicle for Mark Wahlberg. In many ways it is. He can utilize his streetContinue Reading
Anonymous ***1/2 Short Take: Wildly inaccurate historical opus that, after a slow start, manages to be quite compelling with a wonderfully dramatic ending. Reel Take: Half an hour into Anonymous, my initial reaction was “Oh, dear! What have I gotten myself into?” but then everything changed for the better. TheContinue Reading
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows **** The new Sherlock Holmes sequel is bigger, more complicated, and much more of an action fest than the original. Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) ties a series of bombings to Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), his most diabolical rival who even Holmes struggles to keepContinue Reading
2011 turned out to be a better than average year in film – in some ways a great year. Other titles (not included in either of our lists) worthy of consideration and, more importantly, your patronage are The Help, Ides of March, The Iron Lady, Shame, and Win Win. ChipContinue Reading
