Veronica Mars review: fan service included
I’ve never seen the show that spawned it, but it was still exactly what I was expecting. I am neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed by it. I am whelmed.
crime
Blood Ties review: same old New York groove
Excellent performances by Clive Owen and Billy Crudup can’t disguise the fact that there’s absolutely nothing here we haven’t seen too many times before.
Starred Up review: no feel-good redemption to be found
Could be the most realistic depiction of the horribleness and the ineffectiveness of institutional incarceration that I’ve ever seen.
Muppets Most Wanted review: that’ll do, frog
Kermit the Frog takes on his biggest challenge yet: dual roles. And truly puts the villain in vaudevillian.
Need for Speed review: might as well be based on a breakfast cereal
Thinks it’s poetical and epic, and the more dramatic it thinks it’s being, the more hilariously histrionic it all is.
Out of the Furnace review: brothers in yawns
A pungent reek of testosterone stinks up this high-toned apologetic for vigilantism and revenge. Still: great performances! (new DVD/VOD US/Can)
Paranoia review: low anxiety
Offers nothing by way of suspense, intrigue, or characters who rise even a little bit above the yawningly bland.
The Art of the Steal review: steal from the best
One of the most fun heist movies ever, bursting with snappy humor and a twisty cleverness that knows that you know that you are getting conned, too…
Non-Stop review: your popcorn bucket doubles as a floatation device
There’s a delicious cleverness to this very silly but very entertaining flick.
Ernest & Celestine review: bear and mouse are friends
Might be the most ridiculously cute movie I’ve ever seen, in a way that transforms adorableness into something honest and wise and deeply satisfying.
