Noah review: The Bible Episode IV: A New Hope
A Biblical action disaster fantasy epic that is completely bonkers, endlessly entertaining, and actually religious in that inspiring-and-instructional way.
epic
Captain America: The Winter Soldier review: politics in our peanut butter
Stuns me with its scathing commentary on the real world today, wrapped up in what is some of the most delicious, most comic-booky fantasy ever.
Lee Daniels’ The Butler (aka The Butler) review: civil-rights servant
A deeply moving melodrama about a subtly subversive black butler at the heart of the White House. You will need Kleenex.
The Lego Movie review: take the brick pill
You’ve seen this all before — it’s Toy Story meets The Matrix — just not done in Legos.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty review: Ben Stiller’s excellent adventure
An airy fairy tale, buoyed by an infectious joy, about the very modern, bittersweetly pragmatic ache that comes with maintaining your soul and integrity as the world falls apart around you.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review: are we there yet?
Smaug is a magnificent cinematic creation… but there’s no good reason it takes so damn long to get to him.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom review
Bit of a shame that a man who looms so large in the hearts and minds of so many has been packed neatly away into a film that is handsome, respectable, and just a tad stodgy.
Pacific Rim review: the world goes to war
A war movie in the grandest tradition, set in a rich new fictional universe that we’re going to be talking about for a long time.
Man of Steel review: man of feel
Towers with ambition, swelled by sweeping philosophies about power and presence on scales both planetary and personal, beautifully balanced by a wellspring of wry tragedy.
Jack the Giant Slayer (review)
Keeps trying to fly off into potentially fascinating directions and then getting yanked back into a mushy mediocrity…
