“Edge of Tomorrow” could (half-) jokingly be titled “Groundhogs and Aliens,” but that doesn’t mean one should take it lightly. Tom Cruise’s latest would-be blockbuster is the kind of summer movie we need more of but see progressively less of, an elaborate actioner with a brain that combines its special effects with a story that […]
Review: “Edge of Tomorrow” Read More »
On this week’s episode of the Critic Speak Podcast, we review the hot new Marvel blockbuster “Iron Man 3,” discuss Hollywood’s latest method of vetting scripts for their commercial viability, and examine the New York SAFE Act’s potential impact on film and television productions. And as always, James and I close the show by covering
Critic Speak Podcast: Episode 4 Read More »
“Oblivion” is a movie certain to give you déjà vu, and not because that peculiar sensation is a plot point. This Tom Cruise vehicle sports a narrative that’s a blatant composite of countless other films, including but not limited to “WALL-E,” “The Matrix,” “Independence Day,” “Total Recall,” “Planet of the Apes,” and even director Joseph
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This week on the Critic Speak Podcast, we review “Oblivion” with Tom Cruise, talk about various news stories from CinemaCon 2013, and cover the new Blu-Ray releases “Gangster Squad” and “The Impossible.” Be sure to show your support for the show by subscribing and rating on iTunes, where new episodes go up the day after
Critic Speak Podcast: Episode 2 Read More »
Hello and welcome back to Box Office Beat, the column in which I predict the upcoming weekend’s box office results. Even though there’s a $120 million-budgeted science-fiction blockbuster starring Tom Cruise, who either used to be or still is one of the world’s biggest movie stars (depending on who you talk to), being released, this
Box Office Beat: Weekend of April 19 Read More »
“Jack Reacher” is based on Lee Child’s “One Shot,” the ninth mystery novel in a series of 17 that have cumulatively sold over 60 million copies worldwide, but you’d never guess this by only watching the film, which is exceedingly unexceptional. Paramount executives could have saved a lot of money on licensing fees by simply
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It’s been a rough summer for Tom Cruise, what with “Rock of Ages” bombing, his marriage collapsing, and his wife attempting to win sole custody of their six-year-old daughter. However, maybe Cruise will be able to earn a little bit of goodwill back from audiences with the trailer for his upcoming “Jack Reacher” (embedded above),
New trailer: “Jack Reacher” Read More »
Few Hollywood filmmakers have proven themselves to be as tone-deaf as Adam Shankman has during his recent foray into musicals. That Shankman has failed so miserably in the genre is surprising, given his background as a choreographer. But few films–let alone upbeat musicals– are as joyless and utterly lacking an understanding of cinematic kinetics as
Review: “Rock of Ages” Read More »
The opening Friday grosses for Tom Cruise’s “Rock of Ages” and Adam Sandler’s “That’s My Boy” were atrocious. Embarrassing. Disastrous. Dismal. You pick the catastrophic adjective and it applies. The former has some chance of garnering positive word-of-mouth and rebounding throughout the course of its run, but the latter will undoubtedly go down as one
Friday Box Office: “Rock of Ages” and “That’s My Boy” bomb Read More »
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Box Office Beat, the column in which I hopelessly predict the weekend box office results. The new kids on the block this time around are “Rock of Ages,” the incessantly promoted Broadway musical adaptation headlined by Tom Cruise, and “That’s My Boy,” Adam Sandler’s first attempt at
Box Office Beat: Weekend of June 15 Read More »
