You know how sometimes you walk into a movie with low expectations and it turns out not to be so bad after all? “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” is actually, actively worse than you think it will be. Please enjoy my zero-star RogerEbert.com review. Read the review here...
Read more
Reviews
RogerEbert.com — The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The original “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” was not exactly great cinema, but it was sweet and safe. It was also a surprise box office hit. Hence, we have a sequel, which feels like as much of a shameless cash grab as “Grown Ups 2.” But these are really, really grown...
Read moreThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1
Lionsgate Films Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material. Running time: 123 minutes. Two stars out of four. Despite its action and revelations, its substantial political allegory and its strong performances from a tremendous cast, “The Hunger Games: Mockingkay — Part 1”...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Dolphin Tale 2
This harmless and heartwarming film is the sequel to 2011’s “Dolphin Tale,” in case you recall that there was an original “Dolphin Tale.” Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman are both in it, but sadly, they do not run around solving dolphin-related crimes....
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
It’s the chewing-gum-and-rubber-bands edition of What the Flick?! as Alonso discusses the “Sin City” sequel and I pretend to be Matt Atchity. We do our best here, but late August is a bitch....
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — The Trip to Italy
Alonso and I both enjoyed seconds with “The Trip to Italy,” the sequel to the 2011 comedy “The Trip.” Co-stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon once again play versions of themselves and improvise their dialogue while hopping from one delicious meal and scenic locale to the next. Instead of the...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Step Up All In
Certainly you don’t go to a “Step Up” movie for the glittering repartee. But alas, one must endure banal dialogue and a flimsy plot in order to enjoy the gravity-defying, acrobatic extravaganzas. It’s enough to make you wish they’d called this fifth film in the franchise “Step Up and Shut...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — The Purge: Anarchy
Ben and I were stunned that the sequel to “The Purge” is so much better than the original. Writer-director James DeMonaco expands on his clever idea both geographically and emotionally. It’s the best movie in a bad week for movies....
Read moreMovies With Friends — Planes: Fire & Rescue
It’s been a few months since I’ve done one of these Movies With Friends things so I thought it was time, and I thought I’d try it again with Nicolas. About a year ago, I took him to see “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2” and we talked about...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Machine gun-toting apes barreling on horseback through the fiery streets of San Francisco? Yes, please. Matt Reeves’ movie is pretty bad-ass — thrilling, terrifying and vividly rendered — but it also features some intimate moments of real emotional poignancy. We all dug it, although Alonso was less wowed than Ben...
Read more