A quick Google search will show you the average life expectancy for North Americans is around 80 years, which may be why turning 40 freaks out so many people. This Is 40, the new film from writer-director Judd Apatow, is a sharply perceptive, hilarious and moving comedy-drama about how the regular stress and frustration of family life gets amped up by the arrival of that magic age.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
Although movies are meant to hold a mirror up to life, sometimes the details hit too close to home. Such is the case with Jack Reacher, a perfectly serviceable mystery thriller undone by disturbing parallels with recent real-world shooting violence.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
Director Peter Jackson returns to Middle-Earth with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and first of three (possibly four) more movies. The result is very much like the previous films, which, depending on your level of involvement with the source material, is either a good or a bad thing.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-movie-review/
Every December, the TV schedule fills with themed TV episodes, specials, and classic films to celebrate the Christmas season. Many of these are much-loved and still considered mandatory viewing, but they’re re-run every year, and what do you do if you and the family are finally bored of It’s a Wonderful Life or A Charlie Brown Christmas?
Read the rest of this article at Oakville.com:
http://www.oakville.com/articles/great-christmas-movies-for-the-whole-family/
Crime doesn’t pay. It’s an old adage, but one that’s keenly felt by everyone in Killing Them Softly. Unfortunately, despite some good performances and a couple of compelling action scenes, there’s no real payoff for the audience either.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
http://www.oakville.com/articles/killing-them-softly-movie-review/
Film adaptations of novels are usually frustrating. Not only does the director’s vision supplant the images readers have formed in their own mind, the condensed depiction of the book may not even match the reader’s concept of what the story is about. It’s odd that I was reminded of this while viewing Life of Pi, because I haven’t even read the book it’s based on. It’s a brilliant film, effectively covering all the bases of the medium, but one or two shortcomings make me wonder if something was lost in translation.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
Fifty years and twenty-two (official) films after the release of Dr. No, the James Bond franchise is still running strong. The series has defined the modern spy genre, and though many competitors have arisen over the years, none seem to generate anticipation as much as the latest exploits of 007, even if they sometimes seem as worn and comfortable as a pair of old slippers. Skyfall, the third film starring Daniel Craig, will give Bond purists much to love and to quibble over, but it’s a top-notch action film, well worth the anticipation.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
Even landlocked as we are, in the middle of North America, it’s still easy to understand the allure of surfing the Big Wave. Pounding breakers, especially of the heights generated by ocean coastlines, are an awesome sight, and though we might think the daredevils who attempt to ride wooden sticks on top of them are crazy, you’ve gotta admit it looks pretty cool.
Jay Moriarity was a teenage surfing prodigy who became world famous when his spectacular wipeout on the Mavericks break was captured on film and made the cover of Surfer magazine. Chasing Mavericks dramatizes the story of Jay’s life leading up to that moment, but while the surfing scenes are as jaw-dropping as you’d expect, the rest of the movie is under water.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
http://www.oakville.com/articles/chasing-mavericks-movie-review/
Whether at the multiplex or on cable, it’s always easy to find scary movies this time of year. But what if you want to share a little Hallowe’en fun with the kids? Here are some film treats the family can enjoy together. Read the rest of this article at Oakville.com:
http://www.oakville.com/articles/great-halloween-movies-for-the-whole-family/
Children are amazing. Not yet jaded by the world, they accept ideas more readily than adults, including the possibility that science can reanimate the corpse of a beloved family pet. Director Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie celebrates and plays on that acceptance in a humorous family-friendly tale about mad science gone wrong. Jaded parents might feel the subject matter is a little odd, but shouldn’t steer kids clear on that basis. They’ll enjoy it, and chances are you will too.
Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:
http://www.oakville.com/articles/frankenweenie-movie-review/