Author: tlkabtmovies

Following the Spanish flu and World War I, the opening titles tell us “This is a time for ghosts.” Rebecca Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, “The Town”) acquits herself admirably as skeptic Florence Cathcart who believes it’s a time for debunking ghosts instead. She’s the author of the book “Seeing Through Ghosts” and she is hired by teacher Robert…

For a variety of reasons (mainly the 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), I had low expectations for this science fiction yarn, and even lower expectations for its CGI effects. As it turns out, the film was slightly better than I expected, while the effects were even worse. This is not to say that the movie…

It’s hard for me to review a movie like “Act Of Valor” because technically, it’s not even a movie. In fact, it’s a tribute to real-life Navy SEALs, the heroes who took down Osama bin Laden. Nothing wrong with that. And as a documentary, it would have been perfect. Unfortunately, this ain’t a documentary, and while…

Can I tell you how delightful this movie is?  As far as I’m concerned, Judy Dench and Maggie Smith are worth the price of admission all by themselves. That the film is smart and entertaining is icing on the cake. I expect savvy storytelling from John Madden, who directed “Shakespeare In Love”, which gave juicy, colorful…

Beware! The 21st century has officially become a no-fly zone for good movies. Say “Crap” while I call out recent Nicolas Cage screw-ups: “The Wicker Man”, “Next”, “Ghost Rider”, “Bangkok Dangerous”, “Season of the Witch”, “Drive Angry”, “Seeking Justice” and “Trespass” (what a list!). But that’s not all. The Nic Cage epidemic continues with the…

After starring in the God-awful “Red Riding Hood”, Amanda Seyfried moved on to fresher fields. Lol. Not really. I’d like to extoll the virtues of a great thriller, but “Gone” isn’t it. Instead, it comes off as an incredibly dull movie that offers absolutely nothing new to table. Seyfried plays Jill, a supposed survivor of a…

The folks at Warner Brothers Lebanon were nice enough to invite me to the premiere of  “Wrath Of The Titans”, the sequel to 2010’s “Clash Of The Titans”. If you’re familiar with the first movie, you’ll know that the meat of the picture lies in its action scenes and visual effects. At the screening I…

As someone who, doesn’t care much for movies featuring animals  (no “Animal House” does not count), I felt comforted by the presence of an actor I admire, Matt Damon. Given the cheesy nature of the story, about a grieving widower with two kids who buys a zoo and learns a thing or two about life,…

You need an actor with the dramatic heft of Donald Sutherland to deliver the eight words that vile his character’s hisses here with such lip-smacking relish: “May the odds be ever in your favor”. “The Hunger Games”, the screen version of Suzanne Collins’ novel about  a sixteen-year-old girl who volunteers to compete in a televised battle in which only…

Have you noticed how many times Hollywood has ruined your favorite childhood stories? To me, this only compounds the offense. The stories that brightened my childhood with vivid imagination has been pummeled by such overblown productions as “The Cat In The Hat” and “Alice In Wonderland”. Now comes “Mirror Mirror”, a bright shiny film that flatters…

If you like Gerard Butler, and I do despite the horrible career choices induced by “Gamer”, “Law Abiding Citizen” and the God awful “The Bounty Hunter”, “Machine Gun Preacher” is not the antidote to his recent bad choices. It’s a forgettable drama that traps Butler in the role of Sam Childers, a reckless ex-con and…

Don’t you hate it when good movies often go unnoticed? The title of this strange but completely absorbing  movie is meant to provoke a “what is it?” question. Let me give you a hint. Over the years, many films depicted the horrors of the American educational system, from “Dangerous Minds” to “Freedom Writers”. But none…