Month: January 2014

Among his more interesting challenges in the past few years, actor Chris Pine has successfully filled the boots of William Shatner in the re-imagined Star Trek franchise. Can he now do the same as Jack Ryan, previously played by such heavyweights as Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck? The short answer is yes, though Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit may not give you much to cheer about.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com – click the title link.

In 1939, The New Yorker magazine published The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a short story by James Thurber. In the story, Mitty passes through a day of errands in the city with his wife, while random events send him on wild daydream fantasies. (You can still find it on their website.) There’s no real plot to it, but that didn’t stop filmmakers from adapting it into a jewel caper comedy starring Danny Kaye in 1947. Now, director/star Ben Stiller has taken the same story in a different direction, a schmaltzy, product-placement-filled encouragement to “Stop Dreaming. Start Living.” But darned if it doesn’t stir something in you, at least some of the time.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com – click the title link.

2004′s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy has become such a comedy cult classic that it’s now hard to remember it didn’t play well at the box office when it first opened. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues likely won’t have that problem, but even if it does I don’t think it will fare as well over time. It’s just too flat.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com – click the title link.

At first, American Hustle seems like a no-brainer: a period piece about con-artists, written, directed and starring a powerhouse group of Oscar-nominated (and Oscar-winning) filmmakers, with high-profile positive buzz and award nominations before it even arrived in theatres. On seeing it, however, you can be forgiven for thinking you are the one being grifted.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com – click the title link.

Director Martin Scorsese is arguably best known for his Mafia films, where often penniless youths become made men, get rich, and then try to escape the law. The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese’s fifth film collaboration with star Leonardo DiCaprio, is not a Mafia film, but it sure feels like one, and it’s as good as or better than most of the others.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com – click the title link.