Never mind James Franco, though he acquits himself reasonably well in the thankless role of a handsome super-scientist out to heal the human brain. The real star here is Caesar, the genetically tweaked chimpanzee who has to figure out who he is and where he belongs. The story of how …
Dung, ritualized. Anthony Hopkins exerts his almost papal acting authority as the old, weary, but vigilant exorcist in back-alley Rome. He inspires a doubting priest by demonstrating that the Devil lives (mostly by tormenting kids, pregnant girls, and animals). It’s like Hannibal Lecter spewing deviled ham at a midnight mass …
Based on reality, debased to clichés. Andreas Lust plays the champion runner who also robs Austrian banks, in furtive bursts. Benjamin Heisenberg directed as if he is squeezing Run Lola Run into a Brechtian meditation on capitalist despair, scratching the soul itch of a buff but boring enigma. The chases …
An abandoned automobile tire goes on a killing spree in this quirky, low-budget, laugh-out-loud horror spoof. Filmmaker Quentin Dupieux’s budgetary restrictions never get in the way of his resourcefulness. The human subplots could occasionally use a little traction, but the scenes showcasing the psychotic black donut’s fits of road rage …
Johnny Depp delivers his second film-incarnation of a Hunter S. Thompson character: Paul Kemp, a freelance journalist who takes a job at a financially crippled newspaper in Puerto Rico. Paul is quickly tangled in a web of illegal real estate deals, dangerous romantic prospects, and all manner of alcohol-related hijinks. …
A spoof, not of religion but of the bloated excesses of religion in a media-driven, mega-church era. Pierce Brosnan is a suave fundamentalist fool, the Rev. Day. He runs afoul of a righteous aetheist (Ed Harris), thrills a suburban fan (Jennifer Connelly), and bewilders her doofy husband (Greg Kinnear). The …
A hackneyed Poseidon Adventure under the James Cameron banner — in other words, under the showy gauze of 3-D. Characters bounce on the image rather than within it, creating a bug-on-the-screen effect — more irritating than exciting. The story involves a group of underwater spelunkers who find themselves trapped. The …
Nick Broomfield’s documentary, loaded for bear, tries to bag America’s mama grizzly of go-gal Republicanism.
Maudlin drama that takes the bold step of giving us a heroine (Kristen Scott Thomas) who seems like she might be heroic in her quest to uncover the past, but then again, she might just be obsessed. Not every story needs to be told to everyone, not even the story …
After a decade off to repair its shattered nerves, the horror series that began in 1996 again puts Sidney (Neve Campbell) in harm’s way with legendary teen-chaser and killer Ghostface. Genre-savvy Wes Craven directed, with a fatter budget. With Lucy Hale, Anna Paquin, Courteney Cox, David Arquette.
If you’re reading this, odds are that you’re curious about the answer to the question, “What would happen if they released the full fury of Nicolas Cage’s acting insanity storm into a Middle Ages scenario full of knights and witches and magic Jesus books?” Alas, that question seems doomed to …
As Formula One auto racing became a more tech-driven big biz, Ayrton Senna was a very human hero, a three-time world champ and Brazil’s greatest sportsman since Pelé. Lean, handsome, a bit gawky, he remains a public idol in Asif Kapadia’s documentary, but maybe there wasn’t a whole lot of …
The Serengeti is one of the world's greatest ecosystems. Life happened in the Serengeti on an unprecedented scale. It's home to most of Africa's most iconic animals, and hosts one of the world's greatest natural events — the annual wildebeest migration. Nature has orchestrated a perfect symphony in which every …