Category: The Twenty-First Century

In a year of disappointments, “Afterlife” was definitely one of the sequels that should have never been made. I mean yea the first three movies had their “moments”, but I wish I could say the same about this fourth, and hopefully last installment in this endless series. I’d hate to spoil some things, but this…

Director James L. Brooks has given some spectacular movies in the past. So if you admire such films as “Terms Of Endearment” and “As Good As It Gets” (both starring legendary actor Jack Nicholson), you’ll know exactly why I felt frustrated after watching “How Do You Know”. It’s pretty clear from the first few scenes…

After watching this movie, I’m surprised that Robert Duvall wasn’t even considered for a best actor nomination at this year’s oscars. He gives one of his most poignant performances and I can’t think of any actor who could have pulled it off better than he did. He plays an old hermit who’s been kept out…

“I Spit On Your Grave” is a remake of a controversial 1979 movie of the same name about a young writer (Sarah Butler) who rents a cabin in an isolated wooded area for a few months in order to work on her next book. Her presence in the small town attracts the attention of a…

“Sanctum” is being falsely advertised as a James Cameron movie. It’s true that he had some input, but he didn’t write or direct the film, and it shows. I found myself losing interest in it only halfway through, and that’s always a bad sign. It’s a dull, predictable and clichéd thriller that reminded me of the equally…

Straighforward action movie starring Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop, a tough, mean, and cold-blooded assassin who whacks guys with the skill of making it seem like an accidents. But things get messy when his wheelchair-bound boss Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland in a one of a kind role) is killed, and his vengeful son Steve (Ben Foster) comes looking…

Although I didn’t quite hate this movie, I’m afraid I’m still going to call it as misfire for several reasons: 1- The filmmakers (Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck who made an impressive debut in “Half Nelson” a few years ago) desperately try to balance between comedy and drama in telling their story, about a 16 year old…

Given my low expectations for any movie starring Ashton Kutcher these days (who obviously cannot say no to a cheese plate), I was pleasantly surprised by “No Strings Attached”.  Natalie Portman (who gave the performance of her career in “Black Swan”) and Kutcher managed to create comedy through the awkwardly realistic chemistry between their characters Emma and…

This is my favorite time of the year. The Academy Awards will air on February 27, and I love the fact that they’re naming ten nominees in the best picture category. Because lets face it, this isn’t really about being the best (every movie nominated is a potential oscar winner in my opinion); it’s about recognizing quality…

“Unthinkable” is one of those movies that give you something to think about long after the credits stop rolling. It’s a serious study of how far a nation would go to stop terrorism, particularly nuclear terrorism. I found myself facing a very important question: when do we stop being human and start being animals? or…

Jesse Eisenberg (who finally got his big break in last year’s “The Social Network”) stars in this minor, but not completely uninteresting movie as Sam Gold, a Hacidic Jew who finds himself caught up in the world of drug trafficking. Sam was a young man working for his father and studying to become a rabbi, until his…

“Twelve” is a dreadful portrait of a crowd of stupid rich kids from the Upper East Side, and how they spend their parent’s money on drugs and on parties. First we are introduced to Mike (a miscast Chace Crawford who still thinks he’s on “Gossip Girl”),  who has recently lost his mother to cancer and has…

I know what you’re thinking: a movie named “Monsters” must contain monsters, and plenty of them. But it’s important to understand that this isn’t your ordinary monster movie. Of course they are present, but we barely get to see them. Yet we feel their presence, each step of the way, as we follow the journey of a US journalist…

The people involved in “Unknown” are clever ones. They made the right choice when they decided to Cast Liam Neeson in the lead role. Few actors are better than him at playing an everyday man who has had the rug pulled out from under him. He did it in “Taken” a couple of years ago, then again in last…

“My Soul To Take” is the horror version of “Gossip Girl”. Every character is just as annoying as the next one, but the good news is, they all get killed at some point during the movie. We have the Jesus freak, the mentally disturbed boy, the slut, the bully, the mean girl, and the blind…

The first “Paranormal” movie was a huge hit, so I guess it was only a matter of time before the studio decided to release a second one. I admit: the first one had me hooked from the first moment and I thought it was very disturbing in its videocam style documentation of the strange goings-on…

Dwayne Johnson is a very angry man in “Faster”. He’s just been released from prison after serving 10 years and he has one singular focus: to avenge the murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his imprisonment. Now a free man with a deadly to do list on his trail,…

Here’s something you should know before you watch this movie: the story you’re about to see was originally a french farce. Then it was adapted as a broadway play under the name “Cactus Flower”. Then the play was turned into a movie in 1969 and it starred Walter Matthau, Goldie Hawn (in her oscar winning role) and…