20 Feet from Stardom [2013]

The documentary isn’t just a celebration of back-up singers, most of them black women essential to 60s soul and rock records. This is their art, their life. My favorite is Merry Clayton, the force of nature who backs Mick Jagger on “Gimme Shelter.”

d: Morgan Neville | imdb.com | trailer | Interview

This Is the End [2013]

Seth Rogen presents a wholly original premise: He and his movie buddies — all meta-playing themselves — party at James Franco’s house when the Apocalypse hits. The execution is nearly great, with Michael Cera and a musical finale as the highlights.

d: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg | imdb.com | trailer | Emma Watson
Pineapple Express 2 | The Real World | Interview: Rogen, Goldberg

Man of Steel [2013]

Director Zack Snyder, with the help of producer and “Batman” auteur Christopher Nolan, makes a mess of Metropolis, Smallville and the whole “Superman” franchise, duping six Academy Award nominees / winners to stand in front of green screens.

d: Zack Snyder | imdb.com | trailer | Career Arc: Superman

Behind the Candelabra [2013]

Michael Douglas plays Liberace and Matt Damon his gay lover, who
are brazenly intimate, both physically and emotionally — part of the reason why this film is too good (and controversial) for the major studios but just right for Cannes and HBO.

d: Steven Soderbergh | imdb.com | trailer | Making of ...

The Hangover Part III [2013]

The final “Hangover” movie doesn’t include a hangover or the old spirit and wild laughs of the previous films. There is too much Zach Galifianakis and way too much Ken Jeong, but when Galifianakis resigns from the Wolfpack, it is genuinely sad.

d: Todd Phillips | imdb.com | trailer
Archive | The Hangover | The Hangover Part II

Star Trek Into Darkness [2013]

J.J. Abrams makes well-executed but benign PG-13 pop culture, and he has done it again with his second “Star Trek” movie, which seems like just the second part of a reboot. Kirk cries in the first act, then Spock shows he has feelings in the third.

d: J.J. Abrams | imdb.com | trailer | Ultimate Saga trailer
Archive | Star Trek [2009]