March 26, 2010

Chloe (2010)



Amanda Seyfried looks too young to be a call girl, and Liam Neeson is a colossal bore. Julianne Moore is the only believable part of this love triangle, which devolves into an intellectualized exploitation movie. At least the couple’s modern house is perfect.

d: Atom Egoyan | imdb.com | trailer | The Client

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)



John Cusack, Craig Robinson and the manic Rob Corddry return to 1986, when all the best sex and drugs were at ski lodges (“Hot Dog: The Movie”), where Crispin Glover (“Back to the Future”) is a bellhop in a hilarious male wish-fulfillment fantasy.

d: Steve Pink | imdb.com | trailer | Gay ones. | John Cusack

Greenberg (2010)



Noah Baumbach directs this character study of Roger Greenberg, a 40-year-old former musician turned carpenter full of regret. Greenberg is Ben Stiller’s most serious role and possibly his funniest, while newcomer Greta Gerwing is a regular-girl revelation.

d: Noah Baumbach | imdb.com | trailer | “Charlie Rose”

March 19, 2010

The Runaways (2010)



Kristen Stewart is a dead ringer for Joan Jett (right down to the brooding slouch), and Dakota Fanning gives her first grown-up performance as Cherie Currie — lead singer of the Runaways. But Michael Shannon is the most watchable as their creepy manager.

d: Floria Sigismondi | imdb.com | trailer | “Cherry Bomb” video

March 14, 2010

Peter Graves (1926-2010)



Best known as Jim Phelps in the classic television series “Mission: Impossible,” Peter Graves also found fame as Captain Clarence Oveur in the “Airplane” movies, lampooning his serious image and asking little Joey: “You ever seen a grown man naked?”

imdb.com | “Airplane” | “Mission: Impossible”

March 12, 2010

She’s Out of My League (2010)


Jay Baruchel, one of Seth Rogen’s band of brothers in “Knocked Up,” graduates to lead loser in a generic knock-off of a Judd Apatow film. Not even romantic interest Alice Eve can explain why she’s with the dead-end, self-esteem-less Baruchel.

d: Jim Field Smith | imdb.com | trailer | Beauty and the beast

March 10, 2010

Corey Haim (1971-2010)


Corey Haim died from a drug overdose at 38 years old — a lost boy and cautionary tale for child stars drunk on money and fame. He teamed with best friend Corey Feldman for four forgettable movies and finally the A&E reality series “The Two Coreys.”

imdb.com | “The Lost Boys” | “Lost Boys 2” | “The Two Coreys”

March 7, 2010

My favorite movies (2009)



1. Where the Wild Things Are | Spike Jonze
2. The Hurt Locker | Kathryn Bigelow
3. Inglourious Basterds | Quentin Tarantino
4. Up in the Air | Jason Reitman
5. Funny People | Judd Apatow
6. A Serious Man | Coen Brothers
7. Adventureland | Greg Mottola
8. Zombieland | Ruben Fleischer
9. Goodbye Solo | Ramin Bahrani
10. Sugar | Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

March 5, 2010

Alice in Wonderland (2010)



Tim Burton imagines a new wonderland — where Alice is 19, on the verge of a lifeless marriage and Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) steal scene after scene. Stunning makeup and costumes accent the feminist allegory.

d: Tim Burton | imdb.com | trailer | Off with his head.