Filmmaking and magic ask much the same thing of their respective audiences: we know they aren’t “real,” but we willingly pretend as though they are in order to engage our sense of wonder. Certainly, cinema is capable of leveraging such engagement to achieve a far greater impact on people than a simple card trick is, […]
Review: “Now You See Me” Read More »
Hello and welcome back to Box Office Beat, the column in which I predict the upcoming weekend’s box office results. After last week’s record-breaking Memorial Day frame, over which my predictions fared pretty well (10.3% off on the mondo-success “Fast & Furious 6,” 2.9% off on “The Hangover Part III,” and just 1.4% off on
Box Office Beat: Weekend of May 31 Read More »
In order for an “intertwining stories”-formatted ensemble film to succeed, it must offer engaging characters and/or a compelling overarching thesis to unite each segment. As if all his creative juices were expended on last year’s masterwork “Midnight in Paris,” which achieved both feats, writer/director Woody Allen accomplishes neither in “To Rome with Love,” a turgid,
Review: “To Rome with Love” Read More »
