Its credits claim that Lockout is “based on an original idea by Luc Besson,” but there is nothing original about Besson’s “idea.” Lockout is, depending on your viewpoint, either an homage to or a ripoff of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York (1981), […]
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The Lorax (2012) ✰ ✰ ✰
Some children’s movies have more substance than others, and some have more propaganda. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is a movie that certainly entertains children, and adults, yet it also undeniably functions as environmental propaganda. So did the book. This is not […]
Continue reading »Mirror, Mirror (2012) ✰ ✰ ½
The first of two live-action “Snow White” adventures to be released this year is an imaginative, slightly wicked little comedy that retells the tale with an adroit sense of humor. Because megastar Julia Roberts is cast as the evil Queen, […]
Continue reading »Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012) ✰ ✰ ✰
I’ve always liked Lasse Hallström as a filmmaker, ever since I saw My Life as a Dog way back in 1985. He is one director I wish would work more frequently than he does. Hallström’s penchants for character detail, gradual […]
Continue reading »Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) ✰ ✰ ½
In 2008 Brendan Fraser starred in Journey to the Center of the Earth, a goofy but likable version of Jules Verne’s tale. Now comes a sequel of sorts, although Fraser is nowhere to be seen. His nephew from the first film, […]
Continue reading »Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012) ✰ ✰ ✰
Much more up my alley (than Wrath of the Titans) is the contemporary comedy drama Jeff, Who Lives at Home, which is written and directed by brothers Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass. Its essence is a struggle between two dissimilar […]
Continue reading »Wrath of the Titans (2012) ✰ ✰
This thoroughly unnecessary sequel to the thoroughly unnecessary remake of the 1981 thoroughly unnecessary original is a passable time filler if one has any interest in its mythology or its movie stars. Some of the stars, like Liam Neeson and […]
Continue reading »The Hunger Games (2012) ✰ ✰ ✰
As some of you may know I have been very conflicted about this movie, because it involves kids forced to kill other kids, a premise which, frankly, sickens me. I was seriously considering boycotting the film because of this, but […]
Continue reading »Act of Valor (2012) ✰ ✰
Act of Valor is a tribute to U.S. Navy SEALs, people who place themselves in harm’s way to protect us from foreign adversaries. It shows its men (no women) as hard-training, family-oriented warriors who kiss their loved ones goodbye prior to […]
Continue reading »John Carter (of Mars) (2012) ✰ ✰
This movie, because of its huge budget and lowly returns, will forever be known as one of the costliest flops in cinema history. Yet that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. Like most movies it’s fair to middling, with not […]
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