Film Review: “Men in Black 3”

Will Smith in MEN IN BLACK 3

starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson

written by: Etan Cohen

directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, and brief suggestive content

Continue reading “Film Review: “Men in Black 3””

Film Review: “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”

Elizabeth Banks and Brooklyn Decker in WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING

starring: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Falcone, Chace Crawford, Dennis Quaid, Brooklyn Decker, Rebel Wilson, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Chris Rock

written by: Shauna Cross and Heather Hach

directed by: Kirk Jones

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, thematic elements and language

Continue reading “Film Review: “What to Expect When You’re Expecting””

Film Review: “Battleship”

Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna in BATTLESHIP

starring: Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, Alexander Skarsgard, Liam Neeson

written by: Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber

directed by: Peter Berg

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, action and destruction, and for language

Continue reading “Film Review: “Battleship””

Film Review: “The Dictator”

Anna Faris and Sacha Baron Cohen in THE DICTATOR

starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley

written by: Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer

directed by: Larry Charles

MPAA: Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, brief male nudity, language and some violent images

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Dictator””

Spinning Platters Interview: Richard Linklater on “Bernie”

Shirley MacLaine and Jack Black in Richard Linklater's BERNIE

Ever since leisurely ambling onto the cinematic scene with his generation-defining 1991 classic Slacker, Richard Linklater has remained one of the most influential and innovative figures in American independent film. A restless creative force frequently driven to push himself into personally uncharted territory, Linklater’s filmography is remarkably diverse: ensembles pieces beloved (Dazed and Confused) and overlooked (Fast Food Nation); dialogue-driven character studies romantic (Before Sunset/Before Sunrise) and claustrophobic (Tape); animated films adored (Waking Life) and alienating (A Scanner Darkly); and big-studio comedies iconic (The School of Rock) and ignored (The Bad News Bears). And now, for his 15th feature film, Linklater has returned to his native Texas to explore yet another genre: darkly comedic true crime.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Richard Linklater on “Bernie””

Film Review: “Dark Shadows”

Johnny Depp and Eva Green in DARK SHADOWS

starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote

written by: Seth Grahame-Smith

directed by: Tim Burton

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking

Continue reading “Film Review: “Dark Shadows””

Fanboy Ramblings: “The Avengers”

Hulk smashes in Marvel's The Avengers
This film is a Hulk Smash! (There, I said it. Now put it on a poster.)

For a well-thought-out, articulate, reasoned, educated review, I strongly suggest you click over to Jason LeRoy’s official review of The Avengers. For the ramblings of someone who’s read too many comics, seen too many comic movies at midnight, and overanalyzes every darn thing past the point of usefulness, read on. Continue reading “Fanboy Ramblings: “The Avengers””

Film Review: “The Avengers”

Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson in THE AVENGERS

starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow

written by: Joss Whedon (story and screenplay), Zak Penn (story)

directed by: Joss Whedon

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Avengers””

Spinning Platters Interview: Patty Schemel on “Hit So Hard”

It’s been twenty years since Patty Schemel became the drummer for Hole at the age of 25 in 1992. At the time, the band consisted entirely of co-founders Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson. The bassist and drummer with whom they’d recorded their grinding debut album, Pretty on the Inside, had moved on; Patty was recommended to Courtney by Kurt Cobain, who initially wanted Patty for Nirvana before settling on Dave Grohl. Patty had been a fixture in the Pacific Northwest indie-punk scene since the mid-’80s, but little about those experiences could have prepared her for the mind-melting, generation-defining roller coaster ride through heaven and hell on which she was about to have a front-car seat. Those explosive years, the drug-addled abyss that followed, and her hard-fought redemption are chronicled in shockingly intimate detail in a new documentary called Hit So Hard.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Patty Schemel on “Hit So Hard””

Film Review: “The Five-Year Engagement”

Emily Blunt and Jason Segel on what looks suspiciously like the roof-top patio at 2 Folsom in THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

starring: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver, Chris Parnell, Rhys Ifans, Brian Posehn, Mindy Kaling, Mimi Kennedy, David Paymer, Dakota Johnson

written by: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller

directed by: Nicholas Stoller

MPAA: Rated R for sexual content, and language throughout

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Five-Year Engagement””