Category: New Releases
The Age of Adaline: Lively shines in hit or miss romance
by Matt Ward
Don’t look now, but Blake Lively is a movie STAR deserving of capital letters and could very well become a future Best Actress award winner. “The Age of Adaline,” an otherwise pedestrian film, is nothing short of a coming out party for the young actress. Sure, Lively doesn’t have the film credits and accolades on the mantle like Jennifer Lawrence, but few young actresses … Read More The Age of Adaline: Lively shines in hit or miss romance
Woman In Gold: The allure of a golden woman
by Matt Ward
It’s still the time of year where movies just seem to run together in a way that makes them devoid of anything special or unique. Though Hollywood isn’t quite out of this annual funk, the cinematic landscape is starting to escape from the winter wasteland where films go to die and emerging in a spring season that gives moviegoers hope for a quality 2015. … Read More Woman In Gold: The allure of a golden woman
Paul Blart Mall Cop 2: No, just no
by Matt Ward
This week’s biggest release, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2,” arrives in theaters on the assumption that bigger is better — both figuratively and literally — when it comes to sequels. Yet, like the lackluster “Dumb and Dumber To” before it, “Blart 2” is a sequel no one really asked for. The premise of star Kevin James getting an all-expenses paid vacation to Las Vegas … Read More Paul Blart Mall Cop 2: No, just no
Lost River: Art house insanity on display
by Matt Ward
Almost a year following its world premiere at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, “Lost River,” the directorial debut of mercurial talent Ryan Gosling has finally wandered onto screens across America via video on demand. It’s likely that the loud chorus of boos that the film received from the Cannes audience has shelved the film for this long, but it’s important to remember that Cannes … Read More Lost River: Art house insanity on display
The Longest Ride: Alda shines in middling romance
by Matt Ward
Thank God for Alan Alda. For all the talk about the emergence of Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott, if there’s one thing that should be absolutely clear to moviegoers following a screening of “The Longest Ride,” it’s that Alda is a cinematic treasure we all need to be thankful for. The latest in an increasingly predictable line of films based on Nicholas Sparks novels finds … Read More The Longest Ride: Alda shines in middling romance
Furious 7: A proper end to action star Paul Walker’s career
by Matt Ward
“Furious 7,” the latest in the street racing “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, will forever be tied to the tragic death of leading man Paul Walker, who makes his final on screen appearance nearly two years after a fatal, yet unrelated, car accident. It’s a tragedy tied to a film in much the same way that Heath Ledger’s death looms large over “The … Read More Furious 7: A proper end to action star Paul Walker’s career
Get Hard: Failing cultural sensitivity tests
by Matt Ward
Things would have been better off if Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell teamed up to develop a remake of the classic Eddie Murphy-Dan Aykroyd comedy “Trading Places.” It’s the direction that their latest film, the double-entendre heavy “Get Hard,” heads down and the part of the raunchy comedy that actually works. Aside from some gratuitous rear nudity from Ferrell to “set the mood,” the … Read More Get Hard: Failing cultural sensitivity tests
Home: Parsons elevates middling animated comedy
by Matt Ward
“Home,” the latest animated feature film from DreamWorks Pictures, doesn’t break any new ground in family-friendly entertainment. You can see each and every twist coming from a mile away. What sets this animated tale of a lost girl and her unlikely alien friend apart is the terrific voice acting work from “Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons, whose animated career will surely take off … Read More Home: Parsons elevates middling animated comedy
Insurgent: Up-and-down Divergent entry a step in right direction
by Matt Ward
Powerful and bold performances from young women have dominated the cinematic landscape early in 2015, from Dakota Johnson’s career-changing performance in “Fifty Shades of Grey” to a Disney blockbuster in “Cinderella.” While the year’s most gripping performance from a leading actress so far — Jennifer Lawrence in the limited release “Serena” — has been relegated to the second tier of cinema known as video … Read More Insurgent: Up-and-down Divergent entry a step in right direction
Cinderella: Disney hits the mark with live-action adaptation
by Matt Ward
Somewhere in between “Maleficent” and “Snow White and the Huntsman” lies the latest live-action fairytale feature film adaptation, Disney’s “Cinderella,” starring Lily James in the title role and Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother. A very familiar tale to most moviegoers, “Cinderella” doesn’t stray much from conventional Disney retellings of the fairytale, though there is an added emphasis on Cinderella’s parents prior to their … Read More Cinderella: Disney hits the mark with live-action adaptation
Run All Night: Haven’t we learned already?
by Matt Ward
Shouldn’t it be a given by now that it’s not a good idea to mess with Liam Neeson’s family? It’s getting to the point where these stories don’t even really need to be told. Viewers can just replicate an entire Liam Neeson movie in their mind based on the most simplistic plots. Reteaming with the director of such lackluster Neeson action films as “Unknown” … Read More Run All Night: Haven’t we learned already?
Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Sequel avoids traditional pitfalls
by Matt Ward
Not much needs to be said about big budget R-rated films “Chappie” and “Unfinished Business,” which both crashed and burned commercially and critically this weekend. Hollywood can sift through the wreckage for what’s left of Vince Vaughn’s career at another time. But there’s something to be said for an upward trend in cinema that shined brightly this week on the big screen as the … Read More Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Sequel avoids traditional pitfalls
Cinematic Considerations 