Can lightning strike twice in the same place? It can if you switch locations and seriously revamp the storyline, which is exactly what the filmmakers smartly did this time around in the sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
- May 22, 2009 |
Like 2004’s The Notebook, an adaptation of author Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling book, Nights in Rodanthe is a tearjerker. But unlike its predecessor, this film labors under a plodding pace and melodramatic, made-for-TV storyline.
- September 26, 2008 |
Likely targeting kids five through twelve, the latest Walden Media film is a family-friendly, take-me-away adventure with a good message about finding heroism from within.
- April 04, 2008 |
Even with five Oscar-winning actresses delivering fantastic performances without really having that much to work with, the screen adaptation of Broadway musical Nine may have the star wattage but ultimately does little in the way of actually illuminating the audience.
- December 18, 2009 |
No Country for Old Men’s greatest asset—or liability, depending on how you interpret it—is the struggle for answers to profound questions: How can well-meaning people confront unstoppable evil? Is there any hope to do so apart from God?
- November 09, 2007 |
Those hoping for a simple boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-and-girl-get-back-together-and-live-happily-ever-after story will get far better comfort food with No Reservations—even if it’s more of a heart-wrenching drama than a by-the-numbers romantic comedy.
- July 27, 2007 |
"North Country," a tale of one woman’s crusade for equal treatment in a male-dominated workplace, has all the subtlety of a mediocre TV movie. The story, “inspired” by true events but veering far from the actual facts of the historic case on which it’s based, paints its main character as a misunderstood saint amidst vile villains with the worst of intentions.
- October 21, 2005 |
While The Rum Diary hints at themes of political and corporate corruption, it never invites deeper analysis of its story.
- October 28, 2011 |
Considering what might have been expected of a big-budget romance featuring two top stars, The Tourist is rather slight. The lead characters' banter starts with promise, but the film shortchanges the romance as it struggles to incorporate its espionage and gangster storylines.
- December 08, 2010 |
Despite its distracting detours into the bedroom, “The Notebook” (based on the Nicholas Sparks novel) gives us a portrait of a love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.
- June 17, 2004 |
"Notes on a Scandal" reminds us how vulnerable we all are to sin – even the most egregious kind. We may think we’re impervious, but we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be so naïve.
- April 19, 2007 |
The story of a super smuggler who’s gone straight but is forced out of “retirement” to keep his family safe falls flat in a hurry.
- January 13, 2012 |
What starts off as depicting what happens to a group of friends once kids enter the picture seriously goes downhill in a hurry.
- March 13, 2012 |
When it’s said and done, there’s not much about “The Number 23” that actually adds up. It’s ultimately nothing more than a superstition gone seriously awry that wastes the talent of actors like Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen.
- February 23, 2007 |
