Tag: Movies

Film Review – The Hangover Part III

Film Review – The Hangover Part III

Comedy is hard. You can never tell what’s going to make people laugh, and even when they do, you can never be entirely sure if they’re laughing at the things you think they’re laughing at. I think this is the lesson the cast and crew of the Hangover trilogy will take away from it. While The Hangover Part III tries once again to recapture the original’s lightning in a bottle, once again it comes up short.

Film Review – Star Trek Into Darkness

Film Review – Star Trek Into Darkness

Here comes J.J. Abrams again. The man seems to be everywhere these days, with his fingerprints on any number of high-profile TV series and films. And after great success in 2009 with his reimagining of Star Trek, expectations have been high for the sequel. He definitely delivers with Star Trek Into Darkness, though there are a few caveats for die-hard Trekkies.

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

Film Review – The Great Gatsby

Film Review – The Great Gatsby

With some exceptions, most good parties require planning. The host knows how he wants things to go, and selects the elements to create that experience. The very best parties have a uniqueness that’s a reflection of the skill of the host’s planning. And with director Baz Luhrmann as our host, The Great Gatsby is an excellent party indeed.

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

Film Review – Pain & Gain

Film Review – Pain & Gain

By now, everyone knows what a Michael Bay movie looks like – chaotic, loud, and usually empty. These characteristics are sometimes welcome, sometimes not, often depending on the quality of the story they’re attached to. The story in Pain & Gain, based on an actual criminal case, is wild and crazy enough to fit Bay’s style – as such, the movie is better than you have any right to expect.

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

Film Review – Jurassic Park 3D

Film Review – Jurassic Park 3D

As Jurassic Park returns to theatres in a 20th Anniversary 3D edition, it’s a good time to reflect on how movie making has changed. There can be no doubt it’s still a great film, but will today’s young audiences, raised on a steady diet of CGI effects, view it with the same wonder as those in 1993?

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

Film Review – 42

Film Review – 42

This past week, Major League Baseball held its annual tribute to Jackie Robinson, the league’s first African American player in the modern era, who joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1947 season and changed not only the sport, but the world. 42, released to coincide with the anniversary, tells the story of the events leading up to and during that legendary year. It isn’t a world-changing film, but it is entertaining, and a fitting tribute to the man.

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

Film Review – Spring Breakers

Film Review – Spring Breakers

Few festive celebrations are portrayed as hedonistically as the annual Spring Break in Florida, as beaches and swimming pools pack full of young adults in minimal clothing and maximal alcohol. Writer/director Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers is a crime drama set in this world of sun, sand, surf, and sex – a dream for many students, with the potential for nightmares as well. But while it has some okay performances and plenty of atmosphere, it’s ultimately too plotless to be really engaging.

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

Film Review – GI Joe: Retaliation

Film Review – GI Joe: Retaliation

Sequels often change things up to bring fresh ideas, accommodate cast alterations, or renew interest in a franchise. But GI Joe: Retaliation is so different from its predecessor The Rise of Cobra that the two might as well be unrelated. It’s also a mess.

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

Film Review – The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Film Review – The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Professional magicians will always avoid performing the same trick twice. Obviously, this prevents the crowd from catching on to the secret, but more importantly, it maintains the sense of wonder – seeing things again diminishes their impact. It’s a concept the makers of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone have forgotten – its best tricks have been given away in the marketing, and there’s not much else up its sleeve.

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