Monthly Archives: January 2010

‘Edge of Darkness’ a brooding throwback to classic film noir

Homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) investigates his daughter’s murder in Martin Campbell’s “Edge of Darkness.” “Edge of Darkness” is directed by Martin Campbell, who gave us the greatest James Bond movie of the past 30 years, “Casino Royale.” But his newest movie isn’t your standard Hollywood action fare at all. It’s a moody, growly, […]

Amateurish acting bogs down irritating ‘Rome’

Beth (Kristen Bell) gets sudden attention from Nick (Josh Duhamel) after stealing coins in a fountain in “When In Rome.” Just when I thought romantic comedies couldn’t possibly go lower on the quality barometer than last month’s behemoth baddie, “Did You Hear About the Morgans?,” along comes “When in Rome,” an itchy, scratchy, irritating allergen […]

Shortcomings abound in apocalyptic horror tale ‘Legion’

A man named Jeep (Lucas Black) witnesses the beginning of the Apocalypse in Scott Stewart’s angel horror tale “Legion.” Five things I learned about God and angels from watching Scott Stewart’s apocalyptic horror tale “Legion:” 1. God may demand obedience from angels, but secretly loves the rebellious ones that think for themselves. 2. Angels’ wings […]

Lack of passion makes medical drama less than ‘Extraordinary’

Desperate dad John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) gives Dr. Stonehill (Harrison Ford) support in “Extraordinary Measures.” Tom Vaughn’s passionless “Extraordinary Measures” comes extraordinarily close to becoming a smart expose on the roles that corporate politics and old-fashioned capitalism play in the creation and manufacturing of lifesaving drugs for children living under a death sentence called Pompe […]

If only ‘Tooth Fairy’ hurt less than a root canal

A disgruntled professional hockey player (Dwayne Johnson) becomes a tooth fairy for twerpy Tracy (Stephen Merchant) and his boss (Julie Andrews) in the fantasy “The Tooth Fairy.” Look, I’d be willing to pull out all of my teeth and place them under my pillow if I could only, instead of a few measly dollars, retrieve […]

Haunting, beautiful ‘The Lovely Bones’ needs more heart

Stanley Tucci’s performance as a neighborly serial killer of young girls is a haunting highlight of Peter Jackson’s imaginative film “The Lovely Bones.” Peter Jackson’s beautiful and scary fantasy “The Lovely Bones” resonated with me on a personal level that most people won’t quite understand. It’s narrated by a 14-year-old girl who has been presumably […]

‘Spy Next Door’ another disappointing kiddie comedy

Mild-mannered Bob (Jackie Chan), right, teaches a Russian spy manners in the broad, insufferably condescending comedy “The Spy Next Door.” Brian Levant’s “The Spy Next Door” is being marketed as a family comedy, but for action movie fans, it’s truly a tragedy. Jackie Chan, one of the greatest and most popular Hong Kong action movie […]

‘The Book of Eli’ a little too arty, a little too trite

A murderous thug confronts the religious warrior Eli (Denzel Washington) in the apocalyptic science fiction thriller “The Book of Eli.” On paper, or on a computer screen, “The Book of Eli” must have looked like an irresistible synthesis of popular Hollywood genres. It’s a science-fiction thriller, a samurai epic, a spaghetti western, an apocalyptic religious […]

‘Daybreakers’ a back-to-basics horror classic

Lionel “Elvis” Cormac (Willem Dafoe) and vampire Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) get rudely interrupted in the blackly comic thriller “Daybreakers.” Finally, someone has created a bloody, blackly comic horror film that deserves to be in the company of Stuart Gordon’s Grand Guignol masterpiece “The Re-Animator” and Sam Raimi’s goo-pumped demonic frightfest “Evil Dead 2: Dead […]