For the first time being away from his comfort zone of playing Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe takes on a Victorian horror flick called The Woman in Black. Although Radcliffe has shown a strong growth on his way to being an adult film star, he chose this film that has to prove he has made it. Good choice or bad, he's now matured and ready for something even bigger. Although I was not pl...

"It's all the buzz" and for good reason, Chronicle the movie takes aim for a box-office bundle with a "super-powered" film that's directed at one of the largest movie going audiences, pre-teen to 25. The highly imaginative, intensely thrilling teen film pushes all the right buttons providing a feeding for the frenzied populace that loves their movies on the edge a...

With an exciting beginning and suspense filled story Man on a Ledge entertains those that love a good thriller. With very good performances and an action filled script that's nicely directed this year's box office should leap into high gear. Ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) escapes guards at his father's funeral and takes off on the lamb. He makes his way to a high-rise...

Exciting, terrifying, intriguing and thrilling The Grey provides a stunning entry in the erratic first month of the year. Good acting all around, electrifying cinematography and able direction keeps the film moving and entertaining. If you like a white-knuckle panic film that challenges your worst fears, The Grey will have you in its snarling teeth. John Ottway (Liam Neeson) has b...

The Whistleblower is a film whose first act is such a mishmash of re-hashed scenes and clunky exposition that it's a little surprising how engaged we are by its end. It stars Rachel Weisz, which is reason enough to see it, and it is (we are told in the opening title) "inspired by actual events," which is reason enough to hesitate. But it is a film that rewards patience; director Lary...

With films like Bridesmaid, an interesting new sub-genre may have emerged thanks to its success. We now may see more movies aimed at women who come with more of an edge when it comes to frank language and visuals. For far too long, "chick flicks" have avoided having any sort of blue material, but there's a change on the horizon, as evidenced by What's Your Number?Ally (Anna Faris...

Coming out on Blu-ray and DVD is the fall's almost-blockbuster film, Real Steel. Based partially on Richard Matheson's short story "Steel", Real Steel revolves around Charlie Kenton (played by Hugh Jackman) and his boxing robot(s). In the future, human boxing is basically gone, replaced by robots that can fight to the "death". They are still controlled by huma...

George Lucas known for his adventure and science fiction films tears a page from the WWII war history book and produces Red Tails a true story of courage in the face of adversity and discrimination. Much like Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna the backdrop of war becomes the field on which we see the selfless devotion of African-American soldiers helping to maintain a free world. I like the way...

From a ravenous mixed martial arts maven to a star overnight Gina Carano takes acting to new heights in Haywire a spy thriller from Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh. Her screen presence gets so lively that I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. Knowing that the blows she has to give her adversaries have a lot of impact on her character Carano doesn't hold back a thing....

The touching film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close delves into the mind of a young boy on a quest. It's not the quest that's important here, but the determination and desire to make peace with a loss so great it's nearly impossible. Director Stephen Daldry takes us on that journey as if we were the ones looking for answers. Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) has lost his fa...

Over the past 2 1/2 years or so there have been two "B-movie" installations to hit theaters, the first was Piranha 3D and most recently Shark Night 3D. The former turned out to be an enjoyable, mercilessly gory romp, retaining ideal exploitation instincts and a marvelous sense of humor. The latest fish-based horror offering is "Shark Night 3D," which is about as polar opposite ...

Here's another Robin Williams release that brought him fame during the 1980's called Dead Poets Society. Although Williams does provide some cunning comedy, it's the drama that makes him good in this film. The first time on Blu-ray, this Academy Award Winning film for Best Screenplay looks great on my home theater, a sharp contrast over the DVD. The film centers on a young p...

I don't remember how many times I have seen Good Morning Vietnam, but after seeing it on my home theater in Blu-ray it's like the movie is new again. I do admit it is one of my favorite films so that has something to do with it, but the quality of sight and sound here over my DVD certainly puts the film high on my library shelf. By now most everyone has probably heard or watched Good Mo...

When I first saw the trailer for In Time, I could only think, "Oh, look at this, they're remaking Logan's Run." In a way, that's true: for the basic premise of the stage in this film. In Time is set in the future when mankind is genetically engineered to only age for 25 years. And then you get 1 year of time. Run out of time and your heart stops, it's that simple....

Bizarre and yet a tasty morsel, Carnage is one of those ‘fly on the wall' films where in this case you get to watch the decay of one's social skills and can laugh without them hearing you. It's four stellar actors in a room with a very wacky script and a tall order of ego, all moving in opposite directions over a simple solution. The simple stimulus concerns two boys who have a fi...

I can see why Contraband has been set for release in January, with December being action/adventure month this gem would have been buried in their dust. And that would have been a shame, because this gritty story has a lot going for it. With non-stop thrills, chills and spills this film entertains big time. Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) has to dump his smuggled drugs overboard when the coast...

With a genuinely gifted performance, Meryl Streep depicts Margaret Thatcher one of the world's greatest leaders in The Iron Lady. Thatcher served as the longest serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and during some of the most trying times. If you like biographies, real life stores and historical happenings, The Iron Lady is a must see. The Biopic covers three days in Marga...

If you have some time, want some cool entertainment and like updated gospel music then sit-in on Joyful Noise, a very entertaining musical. Director Todd Graff keeps the story simple, predictable yet enjoyable with a glowing cast, hip tunes and amazing vocals. Following the recent death of their choir director, the board of a small-town church appoints Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) to le...

The British movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is not for everyone. It's a mind-numbing film for audiences that crave an involving storyline, can deal with British accents and are into the underpinning of espionage that fueled The Cold War in the 1970's. I am not a big fan of films like this one, but those who are into author John le Carre's The Constant Gardner, The Spy Who Came in Fr...

Contagion, the latest from director Steven Soderbergh, really got under this reviewer's skin, and quite frankly that's what makes it such fun.Contagion is a lithe procedural that follows a deadly virus from patient zero through to epidemic and then containment. The whole chain of germs starts with Gwyneth Paltrow in Hong Kong and spreads out from there--London, Japan, Chicago. People start droppin...

The Final Destination movies are the closest we've gotten to those classic 80's horror film franchises. Where else can you find a group of movies that continue on without really advancing the film's main themes and ideas? The only reason the Final Destination movies exist is to showcase spectacularly gruesome demises of characters that never get past the script description of "teen ma...

All you Archer lovers take heed, now on Blu-ray Archer: The Complete Season Two with every minute of the hilarious spy spoof unencumbered by those pesky commercials. If you think season one was crude, you can bet the second season has more wild and wacky episodes that could embarrass a drunken sailor. Archer is an adult animated, half-hour comedy that revolves around the Internati...

Steven Spielberg adds another holiday film to the mix, but this one tends to skew higher on the age scale due the violence and cruelty. The film called War Horse has a bountiful cast of good actors, a bold story and brilliant cinematography that sometimes seems ‘too' real. Although targeted to young boys, the film gets a little too strong for immature adolescents. For acting and ...

The heartfelt drama We Bought A Zoo comes to town and it's for the whole family. A true story perfect for the holiday season with an uplifting account that shows what one family can do to help a community while healing themselves. I am a fan of this kind of film as it reminds us of the principles on which America is built, with dreams, hard work and service to humanity. The recent...

"Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" on the surface appears to be a "throw away" summer film, a haphazardly thrown together money grab, grasping at nostalgia for its acclaimed predecessor. Much like its storied roots, however the film will shock and awe with it's stunning plot twits and revelations only adding to the mythos of The Planet Of The Apes. Rise of The Plan...