The Giver movie review: give it back
A very simplistic Dystopia for Dummies — with a bit of Terrence Malick for Dummies — and inoffensive enough until it devolves into all kinds of stupid.
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The Boxtrolls movie review: avert your eyes
There’s a fine line between baroque and grotesque… and The Boxtrolls crosses it. Here is a film that actively makes you want to look away.
The Guest movie review: making cheesy 80s sausage
THE SOFT PRETTY ENGLISH ACTOR: I’m tired of all these damn television costume drama roles. Get me something totally badass.
Lucy movie review: head case
In this pile of adolescent heavy-metal-deep pseudo-sci-fi philosophy, the meaning of humanity depends on how “cool” something looks onscreen.
Into the Storm movie review: all wet
A movie to make you despair of the found-footage conceit (if you weren’t already). Suddenly Twister looks like Shakespeare.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For movie review: meaner streets
An unnecessary sequel that’s empty and arduous, little more than vignettes on vengeance and cruel parades of sociopathic power.
The Expendables 3 movie review: like you care what I think
In the vast conspiracy of stupidity that has overtaken pop culture, the disparagement of this movie by a film critic becomes an endorsement of a sad sort.
Guardians of the Galaxy movie review: empty space
Just another rote space adventure. It’s not actively awful, but there isn’t a single damn thing in the least bit surprising or memorable about it.
Hercules movie review: he fights the lion!
Grading on the Ratner Curve, this is a positive triumph. The cheesy clichés are at least passingly entertaining. You could do worse.
The Purge: Anarchy movie review: standing up to power and privilege
Doubles down on the first film’s angry approach to inequality and violence, and again reflects an image of America that is ugly but only slightly distorted.
