Rebellion (L’ordre et la morale) review
Sporadically exciting French action drama about a 1988 hostage crisis drags more often than it should.
reviews by genre
A Hijacking (Kapringen) mini review
Harrowing drama of modern-day piracy as a sort of illicit corporate takeover; riveting and exhausting.
Olympus Has Fallen mini review
A vile propagandistic action flick that shamelessly indulges fears of terrorism while also failing on a basic narrative level.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist mini review
A provocative, ambitious drama about the unconsidered assumptions that power our cultures, for good or ill.
The Great Gatsby mini review
Alternately intriguing and infuriating: it’s very like the sort of movie exuberantly excessive Gatsby himself might have made.
Monsters Wanted review: chasing a nightmare
A rare unromantic look at just how much labor (and risk) goes into a labor of love…
Grown Ups 2 review: Adam Sandler’s Happy Funtime Circle Jerk
This is not a movie. This is nothing but Adam Sandler hanging out with his pals and congratulating himself on how awesome he finds himself to be.
Elysium review: third world rock from the sun
Neill Blomkamp cements his science-fiction credentials as a filmmaker with a genre vision the likes of which we haven’t seen since the socially conscious SF of the 1970s.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident (aka Devil’s Pass) review: mountain high
A deliciously ooky, X-Files-esque chiller that’s a scary-fun hoot and a half; a lean, smart example of the found-footage flick.
You’re Next review: the lack of suspense is killing me
Oh, it’s horrific, all right: wooden performances and stilted exposition, punctuated by bouts of random bloody sadism.
