The most grin-inducing segment in“Hitchcock” is the one that features Hitch’s (Anthony Hopkins) brilliant public-relations scheme for the theatrical premiere of his latest movie “Psycho.” “Hitchcock” has already clarified for us that, because the director couldn’t get Paramount to fund the project, he ponied up his own money. That studio agreed to distribute “Psycho,” and […]
Film: ‘Skyfall’ (2012)
November 13, 2012 by
There’s enough life-and-death chases, derring-do, femmes, and an over-the-top villain in “Skyfall,” the latest addition to the James Bond cinematic catalog, to make it feel familiar. But this entertainment is just as much Moon-and-Mum as it is Mars-and-Guns. As Silva (Javier Bardem), the villain, puts it: “Mommy was very bad.” Mom, of course, is M […]
Film: ‘Arbitrage’ (2012)
September 10, 2012 by
Mogul Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is in the process of selling his family-owned company. But beneath the entrepreneurial gloss, the event is more akin to a fire sale. That’s because Miller needs to unload his prize before anyone with accounting smarts detects a more than a $400 million fraud. Pluto rules the big reveal of […]
Film: ‘The Good Doctor’ (2012)
September 7, 2012 by
For many people, bedside manner plays a big role in assessing how “good” a physician is. In “The Good Doctor,” Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom), a British doctor doing a residency in the U.S., has an inspired connection with his patient Diane (Riley Keough) that’s off-the-charts impressive: caring, calming and sweetly personal. But we’ve previously seen […]
Film: ‘Lawless’ (2012)
August 29, 2012 by
At its core, the Prohibition moonshine-and-brass-knuckles saga “Lawless” is a movie about three entrepreneurs. Not quite an instructional how-to business flick, but the Saturnian themes of persistence, survival and ends justifying the means are as rampant and hardcore here as the violence. The movie – based on a real-life family and set primarily in Franklin, […]
Film: ‘Premium Rush’ (2012)
August 24, 2012 by
If you propelled Mercury, ancient messenger of the gods, into the 21st century, there’s a good chance he’d be a bicycle courier. Because he served the deities, he’d have to ride really fast. And he’d probably be a lot like Wilee, the speed-demon messenger in “Premium Rush.” Mercury’s domain is commerce, transportation, communication, the mind, […]
Film: ‘ParaNorman’ (2012)
August 16, 2012 by
Norman Babcock, the 11-year-old hero in the stop-motion 3D animated feature “ParaNorman,” sees dead people. In addition to communing with the spirits of those who have passed on – he’s severely bullied and marginalized at school for his preoccupation – Norman has brand loyalty to Zombie-centric toothbrushes, posters and otherworldly paraphernalia. In other words, he’s […]
Film: ‘Compliance’ (2012)
August 15, 2012 by
Based on true events, Craig Zobel’s “Compliance” is a chilling exploration of fear, subservience to authority in the workplace and violations of personal boundary issues – three Saturnine themes that Zobel takes to a devastating conclusion. The setting is a Chickwich fast-food establishment that’s managed by Sandra (Ann Dowd). Sandra, a conscientious middle-aged supervisor, is […]
Film: ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ (2012)
August 14, 2012 by
“The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” written and directed and written by Peter Hedges, gives new meaning to the expression “fresh produce direct from the garden.” Jim and Cindy Green (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner) have just learned they cannot have biological children. Overwhelmed by grief, they write a wish list of the child they […]
Film: ‘The Campaign’ (2012)
August 10, 2012 by
In the political comedy “The Campaign,” the end justifies the means. This is what happens when Saturn – the planet that typically loves to play ethically and by the rules – gets turned on its head. The bad guys in this movie, directed by Jay Roach, are the Motch brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow). […]
Latest Tweets