Review: Grizzled Duvall steals Cruise’s thunder in Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher (PG-13, 130 minutes): About two-thirds of the way through Jack Reacher, I started writing it off as another Tom Cruise vanity exercise. For most of the movie, Tom had strolled through each scene flashing his toothy smile, winning fist fights, going shirtless. It was about time for a concession or bathroom break. I’d

Review: Ensemble cast offers even more depth to ‘Lincoln’

Lincoln (2 hours, 23 minutes, rated PG-13): I thought I recognized the face behind the beard, but I couldn’t quite place him. Then, a friend offered a tip on Facebook: “D-Day went from Faber College to the Cabinet.” Yes! That’s him. That’s the guy who played D-Day in Animal House! Bruce McGill is playing Edwin

Review: Mason jars of hooch validate Lawless

Lawless (R, 116 minutes): A few minutes into a movie, you can usually identify with the acting. Or the setting. Or the music. In Lawless, it was a prop — the Ball Mason glass jar. It made a frequent, nondescript  appearance in the movie, but I immediately got the context of what was going on.

Review: The Possession … nothing out of the box about it

The Possession (PG-13, 91 minutes): I don’t like zombie movies. They’ve become too mainstream. Zombies, intent on eating your brains, slowly lumber toward you. You break out a shotgun. Boom. You’ve knocked off one. If you’ve seen one zombie apocalypse, you’ve seen them all. I say this because that’s what is becoming of exorcism. Too

Review: The book on The Hunger Games … save time, watch it

The Hunger Games (PG, 2 hours, 4 minutes): I’ve stopped telling my friends that I’m excited about seeing an upcoming movie. Here’s how it usually goes down: Me: “Saw a preview for the new Jackass movie. Can’t wait to see it.” Friends: “I know, right? You should read the book. The book is better.” Book?

Review: ‘The Campaign,’ funny, but too much like my Facebook news feed

The Campaign (R, 85 minutes): Not long ago, I adjusted the settings on my Facebook account so that I wouldn’t get any more FarmVille updates. Just when I got those under control … along came the political pundits with their relentless posts. One after another. Post after post. They post all manner of rants aimed

Review: Total Recall, totally not the freak show I recall

Total Recall (PG-13, 135 minutes): I know it’s politically incorrect, but when I was a kid, the freak show was the best part about the fair. You remember the scene. The midway was lined with trailers. They’re all painted  with creepy posters that are made even creepier with speakers constantly spewing monotone descriptions of what’s

Review (2009): Up: Tremendous Up-side for Pixar

Up (PG, 96 minutes): You hear the name Pixar. Disney. Animated feature. 3-D. And you start expecting the beatdown of a Randy Newman score … Wait, you mean there’s no Randy Newman score? There isn’t, and with that I was able to fully enjoy this 89-minute production, especially in 3D. I’ve heard that it’s just

Review (2009): Slumdog Millionaire: Great movie … my final answer

Slumdog Millionaire (R, 2 hours): If you’re like me, you liked Who Wants to be a Millionaire when it was Regis Philbin’s show. Meredith Vieria is no slouch, but it was a lot more fun with a hyper Regis throwing out a Bronx accent. And if you’re like me, you’re wondering what Who Wants to

Review (2009): Star Trek: Geekiness has its value

Star Wars (PG-13, 2 hours, 6 minutes): Hang out in the lobby after a Star Trek, Star Wars or a Harry Potter blockbuster has just played, and you hear the experts — you know, those guys who look like The Simpsons‘ Comic Book Guy. You’ll find them wondering aloud why Spock’s mind meld wasn’t utilized