Man of Steel both quiet, loud

HENRY CAVILL as Superman in Warner Bros. Pictures  action adventure 'Man of Steel.'

Man of Steel is a mighty, massive relaunch for Superman. It fits the bill for a summer blockbuster and then some. There’s a lot of good stuff in Man of Steel. A lot of over-the-top, extra stuff, too. Maybe in their efforts to please moviegoers searching for summertime action and spectacle, the filmmakers overloaded their movie with earthshaking, loud, long fights and action sequences. Continue reading →

Smartly-cast The East well worth the ride

Photo by MYLES ARONOWITZ -- Patricia Clarkson, left, and Brit Marling star in the Shreveport-shot film  The East.

Writer-actress Brit Marling is developing an impressive catalog of films. The East, a tense, smartly cast drama about anti-corporation vigilantes, is her third and most high-profile project, following the well-received 2011 films, Another Earth and Sound of My Voice. For the Shreveport-shot The East, Marling reteams with her Sound of My Voice director and co-writer, Zal … Continue reading →

This Is the End takes early lead among summer comedies

Columbia Pictures-Sony photo by SUZANNE HANOVER -- From left, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill star in a scene from This Is The End.

It’s the end of the world, dateline Hollywood. This Is The End imagines the Apocalypse, the Rapture, the End of Days, as doomsday swirls around a group of six actors and friends. And these aren’t merely aspiring actors or struggling actors. These guys are famous. The movie comedies they starred in earned millions. Using … Continue reading →

Vaughn-Wilson’s ‘Internship’ silly but fun

Photo provided by Twentieth Century Fox -- 'The Internship' stars Owen Wilson, left, and Vince Vaughn as salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world that they try to join at Google.

There are really three movie stars headlining “The Internship”: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and Google. Actually, it’s a surprise Google doesn’t get top billing over the humans, so adoringly is the company displayed. But if you can get past this Mother of All Product Placements, you’ll likely find yourself chuckling a lot during this silly but warm-hearted … Continue reading →

'The Purge' is a new horror movie classic

Universal Pictures photo by DANIEL MCFADDEN -- Ethan Hawke plays James Sandin, the father in a family taken hostage in The Purge.

A new horror movie classic, The Purge unleashes the monsters in our friends, our neighbors and ourselves. In the near-at-hand future of 2022, federal law sanctioned by a new regime called the New Founders of America (NFA) declares that all crime, including murder, is legal one night a year. Bad stuff can happen and no one, including … Continue reading →

Baumbach choreographs natural 'Frances Ha'

Photo provided by Pine District, LLC -- Greta Gerwig dances in front of a fountain in a scene from Frances Ha.

In writer-director Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha, the title character runs and dances through the streets of New York. Greta Gerwig, the film’s co-writer, stars as the joyful Frances, a 27-year-old aspiring dancer. But Frances dwells in a purgatory between college life and genuine adulthood. She dreams of dancing with the professional company she’s associated with, … Continue reading →

'Now You See Me' lacks magical touch

Summit Entertainment photo by BARRY WETCHER -- Clockwise from left, Dave Franco, Jesse Eisenberg,  Isla Fisher and Woody Harrelson are shown in a scene from Now You See Me.

Now You See Me, a heist movie revolving around a quartet of magicians, has flash and zest. There’s an exciting chase sequence, too, on foot and in vehicles, in New York City. There’s also much huffing and puffing over magic tricks and stunts that aren’t so thrilling or enchanting. Now You See Me further suffers … Continue reading →

‘Fast & Furious 6’ is more of everything

Universal Pictures photo by GILES KEYTEFrom left,  Dwayne Johnson,  Vin Diesel and Paul Walker star in Fast & Furious 6, which opens Friday.

Ever wonder what it would feel like to suddenly wake up in another universe? You could find out, perhaps, by joining the next space mission to another galaxy, or, slightly easier, you could go to your local multiplex and watch “Fast & Furious 6” without having seen the first five movies. Should you decide to undertake … Continue reading →

‘Hangover’ trilogy ends on a dark note

This film publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Bradley Cooper as Phil, left, Zach Galifianakis as Alan, center, and Ed Hlems as Stu in a scene from

“Daring” isn’t a word you would use very much to describe 2011’s “The Hangover Part II,” the disappointingly lazy, beat-for-beat rehash of the wild and wildly successful original “Hangover” from 2009. And yet, here we are with “The Hangover Part III,” which runs a different sort of risk by going to darker and more dangerous places than … Continue reading →

'At Any Price' reaps disappointing harvest

Photo provided by Sony Pictures Classics -- From left, Zac Efron as Dean, Dennis Quaid as Henry and Kim Dickens as Irene are shown in a scene from At Any Price.

In director and co-writer Ramin Bahrani’s Iowa corn country-set drama, At Any Price, Henry Whipple is a hustling seed salesman. Played by a manic Dennis Quaid, Whipple is a third-generation farmer who lives by the modern-day agribusiness code of “expand or die.” In the film’s first few minutes, he ruthlessly, shamelessly expands his already 3,000-acre … Continue reading →

‘Trek’ goes not so boldly into rehash zone

This undated publicity film image released by Paramount Pictures shows, Zachary Quinto, left, as Spock and Chris Pine as Kirk in a scene in the movie,

“Star Trek Into Darkness” is like fan-boy fiction on a $185 million budget. It’s reverential, it’s faithful, it’s steeped in “Trek” mythology. It’s also an excessively derivative what-if rehash of themes and interactions that came before, most of the characters lesser copies and even caricatures of the originals. The scenario’s been hijacked and rejiggered from better “Trek” … Continue reading →

Lore follows German children’s grim journey

Photo provided by Music Box Films -- Siblings Liesel (Nele Trebs), Lore (Saskia Rosendahl), Jürgen (Mika Seidel), and Günther (André Frid) are shown in a scene from Lore.

After Adolf Hitler’s suicide, as the Third Reich falls, five German children are left on their own. Their Nazi parents are arrested by the victorious Allies. But before their mother is imprisoned, she instructs her eldest daughter, 14-year-old Hannelore Dressler, to leave Bavaria with her siblings and go north, where their grandmother lives. The Allies, her … Continue reading →

All sparkle, no soul in ‘ Great Gatsby’

This film publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in a scene from

If any piece of classic American literature should be depicted on film with wildly decadent and boldly inventive style, it’s “The Great Gatsby.” After all, who was the character of Jay Gatsby himself if not a spinner of grandiose tales and a peddler of lavish dreams? And Baz Luhrmann would seem like the ideal director to bring … Continue reading →

‘Peeples’ offers genial, forgettable peeps

 This undated publicity photo released by Lionsgate shows, from left, Kerry Washington, as Grace Peeples, Craig Robinson as Wade Walker and David Alan Grier as Virgil Peeples in a scene from the film,

The people of “Peeples” make a better impression than most collections of oddballs in the weary mold of comedies centered on meeting the prospective in-laws. They still overstay their welcome, though. With a long, boring buildup that finally pays off with scattered laughs in the second half, “Peeples” also manages to leave a better impression than … Continue reading →

Five-minute films combine in 'Where Y’at'

Photo provided by Timecode NOLAFive-minute films that reflect the various neighborhoods of New Orleans form Where Yat (hello), which will be shown at Chalmette Movies Wednesday-Thursday, May 15-16.

Fifteen directors and one concept are packed into the cinematic love song to New Orleans, Where Y’at (hello). Echoing the communal spirit that helped produce Louisiana’s entry into last year’s Oscar race, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Timecode:NOLA, a New Orleans filmmaker collective, assigned specific street corners throughout the city to specific directors. In the … Continue reading →

'Iron Man 3' a great ride

Photo provided by Disney-Marvel StudiosGwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts in Iron Man 3, the summer movie season's first expected big draw.

As resourceful as industrialist-inventor-superhero Tony Stark is, he’s frequently tested to his limits in Iron Man 3. Not just tested, Stark is defeated in a spectacular series of bruising losing battles. Stark’s gargantuan struggles against a mysterious, overwhelming enemy known as the Mandarin, fly by in a flash of fight and action sequences. Continue reading →

Bay’s new flick is all pain, no gain

This undated publicity photo released by courtesy of Paramount Pictures shows, from left, Dwayne Johnson as Paul Doyle, Mark Wahlberg as Daniel Lugo and Anthony Mackie as Adrian Doorbal in the film,

There’s a siege mentality about Michael Bay’s movies, as though viewers are the enemy holed up in a bunker and he’s the guy ordering heavy-metal music around-the-clock to wear down our morale and force us to surrender. Bay’s true-crime caper “Pain & Gain” lacks the visual-effects mayhem and sci-fi cacophony of his “Transformers” blockbusters, yet the movie … Continue reading →

Elegant if familiar, ‘Oblivion’ mesmerizes

Beech (Morgan Freeman, left) gives orders to Kara (Zoe Bell, center) and Sykes (Nikolaj Koster-Waldau) in “Oblivion,” an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the visionary director of “TRON: Legacy”and producers of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Early in the sleek sci-fi thriller “Oblivion,” Tom Cruise, as a flyboy repairman living a removed, Jetsons-like existence above an invaded and deserted Earth, intones his home sickness. “I can’t shake the feeling that despite all that’s happened, Earth is still my home,” he narrates. One can’t help but chortle and wonder if Cruise is speaking … Continue reading →

Quick Review: ‘42’

This film image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson, right, and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey in a scene from

“42” is the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play American Major League Baseball. Starring Chadwick Boseman as Robinson and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ president and general manager, this film looks at the two years following Robinson’s entrance into the league in 1947. The Good Stuff: “42” is a terrific film. … Continue reading →

Jackie Robinson biopic, '42,' strikes out

Warner Bros. Pictures photo by D. STEVENSChadwick Boseman stars as Jackie Robinson in 42, by writer-director Brian Helgeland.

Hollywood goes for the formulaic in 42. A biopic about barrier-breaking baseball great Jackie Robinson, the film scratches the surface of history and diminishes Robinson’s very real human achievement by casting him in the ill-defined haze of myth. Born in 1919 in Cairo, Ga., Robinson left the Jim Crow-era South and became a … Continue reading →

'Evil Dead' remake is horror masterpiece

Photo provided by Sony-TriStar PicturesJane Levy stars as Mia in the Fede Alvarez-directed film Evil Dead.

Writer-director Sam Raimi’s 1981 horror classic, The Evil Dead, gets a worthy remake via the intensely taut Evil Dead. Minus the original’s “The,” Evil Dead revives Raimi’s sturdy, effectively spare source material for what likely will become a new horror classic. Continue reading →

‘G.I. Joe’ knows it’s big and dumb

This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows Channing Tatum, left, and Dwayne Johnson in a scene from

If a big, dumb action movie knows it’s a big, dumb action movie and revels in that fact, is that preferable to a big, dumb action movie making the mistake of thinking it’s significant, relevant art? That’s the question to ponder — if you can think straight and your ears aren’t ringing too badly — during “G.I. … Continue reading →

‘The Call’ dials up a shallow thriller

Sony-TriStar Pictures photo by GREG GAYNEHalle Berry plays a 911 operator in The Call, which opens in theaters Friday.

In countless films about emergencies, crimes and police work, the 911 dispatcher is but a bit player, an anonymous, robotic voice briefly heard on the other end of a breathless call made by our movie’s main players. But in “The Call,” the 911 operator gets a starring role. It would seem to be long overdue, since Halle … Continue reading →

'Olympus Has Fallen' falls short

FilmDistrict photo by PHIL CARUSOGerard Butler stars as former Secret Service Agent Mike Banning in Olympus Has Fallen.

In the action-drama-terrorist tale Olympus Has Fallen, an enemy aircraft, specifically a heavily armed and fortified C-130 transport plane, slips undetected into airspace over Washington, D.C. The plane is nearly on top of the White House before a pair of U.S. fighters intersect it. The mighty American fighter jets are too little, too late, helpless … Continue reading →

‘Spring Breakers’ is a hypnotic mix

A24 Films photo by MICHAEL MULLERJames Franco plays a small-time hustler and gun-toting gangster called Alien in Spring Breakers.

Harmony Korine seems to want it both ways, all day, with “Spring Breakers,” his super-stylized descent into a sunbaked hell where bikini-clad, gun-toting college babes serve as our guides. As writer and director, Korine wants us to be appalled and aroused, hypnotized and titillated. He wants to satirize the debauchery of girls gone wild while simultaneously reveling … Continue reading →

'Admission’ a huge waste of Fey and Rudd

This film image released by Focus Features shows Tina Fey, left, and Paul Rudd in a scene from

What should be a hilarious, long-overdue pairing of two hugely likable, superstar comedians ends up being a major disappointment with “Admission.” As much film and television work as they do individually, Tina Fey and Paul Rudd surprisingly never have worked together. In theory, her smart, zingy persona should mesh beautifully with his easygoing goofiness — or their … Continue reading →

The Shin Bet is revealed in The Gatekeepers

Photos provided by Sony Pictures ClassicsAbove, Avraham Shalom discusses his time as Shin Bet director in the film The Gatekeepers. Shalom, in an earlier photo below, was director from 1980 to 1986, and personally ordered the execution of the two captured and bound Palestinian terrorists following a 1984 bus hijacking between Tel Aviv and Ashkelon.

The normally clandestine world of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service, is revealed with remarkable transparency in The Gatekeepers. A thought-provoking documentary by Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh, The Gatekeepers examines Israel’s decades of strife-ridden post-World War II history. Moreh tells the story through historic film footage and, most of all, six former heads of the Shin … Continue reading →

'Dirty Energy' shows residents’ side in BP disaster

Photo provided by Flood Films/Cinema Libre Studio Crews clean up a Gulf Coast beach following the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in a scene from Dirty Energy.

In Detroit filmmaker Bryan D. Hopkins’ documentary, Dirty Energy, Louisiana residents affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster and its prodigious gusher of an oil leak get a chance to tell their stories. Of course, none of these people has deep pockets of the kind that allow them to run national TV campaigns about how they’re going to make something that’s so terribly wrong right. Continue reading →

'Oz' remake lacks original’s heart

Photo provided by Disney Enterprises<P> The character China Girl, left, voiced by Joey King, talks to James Franco, as Oz, in a scene from Oz the Great and Powerful.

Audiences can follow the yellow brick road again in a newly devised prequel to the beloved 1939 MGM musical The Wizard of Oz. This modern take on the Oz story has many of things contemporary audiences expect, including a multitude of special effects and 3D. Oz the Great and Powerful also lacks many things that … Continue reading →

‘Snitch’ is surprisingly moving

Summit Entertainment photo by STEVE DIETLDwayne Johnson, left, and Barry Pepper are shown in a scene from Snitch.

When I heard about “Snitch,” the words drug dealers, guns and The Rock stuck in my mind. I went in with low expectations, assuming I would see plenty of action, shooting, muscles and corny one-liners. What I did not expect was a movie about the unbreakable relationship between father and son. The starring role is … Continue reading →

‘Dark Skies’ a creepy, unusual thriller

When hearing that the producer of popular thrillers “Insidious,” “Sinister” and “Paranormal Activity,” has created a new movie, one’s mind will go directly to paranormal happenings and ghosts or demons lurking around in the shadows. However, “Dark Skies” doesn’t particularly follow any previous plots or ideas. It is a new thriller based on unworldly visitors, but ghosts and … Continue reading →

A lively, detailed ‘Giant Slayer’

Photo provided by Warner Bros. PicturesNicholas Hoult stars as Jack in Jack the Giant Slayer, which opened last week.

A big-budget, effects-laden, 3-D retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk legend may seem like the unlikeliest pairing yet of director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie, but “Jack the Giant Slayer” ends up being smart, thrilling and a whole lot of fun. Continue reading →

‘21 & Over’ an all-night rager

This film image released by Relativity Media shows Miles Teller, left, and Skylar Astin in a scene from

If you liked “The Hangover” but felt like it needed more projectile vomit, stampeding buffaloes and naughty sorority pledges being spanked, then “21 & Over” is the feel-good, feel-bad movie for you. The writers of that 2009 smashed smash hit, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, wrote the script here, too, and direct for the first time. Comparatively, … Continue reading →

'The Power of Few' is engaging trip through 5 stories

Photo provided by Steelyard PicturesChristopher Walken, third from left, plays Doke, and Jordan Prentice, standing next to Walken, plays Brown in the film The Power of Few.

A film that makes good, unglamorized use of its gritty New Orleans locations, The Power of Few introduces five stories containing five parallel sets of characters. Few, a girl seemingly minding her own business as she walks down a city street, serves as the launching pad for it all. As each story unfolds, often accompanied by … Continue reading →

'Bless Me, Ultima' fails to bring magic to screen

Photo provided by the Arenas GroupLuke Ganalon, left, as Antonio, shares a scene with Miriam Colon as Ultima in the feature film Bless Me, Ultima.

The film adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya’s first novel, Bless Me, Ultima, has strong performances by a mostly Latino cast. The film’s also got beautiful images of nature and individual scenes of undeniable power. The choice to include a ponderous narration, however, violates that basic rule of storytelling: Show rather than tell. Film being most of all … Continue reading →

‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ falls flat

20th Century Fox photo by FRANK MASIBruce Willis as John McClane, left, Jai Courtney as his son Jack, center and Sebastian Koch as Komarov star in a scene from A Good Day to Die Hard.

“A Good Day to Die Hard,” the newest sequel to the action-junkie’s favorite series, “Die Hard,” opened in theaters on Valentine’s Day. However, this is probably not the movie for couples who want to cozy up for a romantic night out. It is action-packed, relatively plotless and stars the ever-present, ever-impressive king of the action movie Bruce Willis. Continue reading →

‘Side Effects’ a twisty thriller

Photo provided by Open Road FilmsJude Law, left, and Catherine Zeta-Jones share a scene in Side Effects, which opens Friday.

If “Side Effects” is indeed Steven Soderbergh’s final film, as he’s said it will be after toying with the notion of retirement for a couple of years now, then intriguingly it feels like he’s coming full circle in some ways to the film that put him on the map: the trailblazing, 1989 indie “sex, lies and videotape.” Continue reading →

‘Warm Bodies’ a refreshing take on zombies

This film image released by Summit Entertainment shows Nicholas Hoult in a scene from

With growing zombie fans around the world expecting a fast-approaching zombie apocalypse, it’s about time for Hollywood to start rethinking the overdone traditional zombie film. Director Jonathan Levine works magic as he composes this endearing comedy that brings hope to a world of expected misery. “Warm Bodies,” presents a fresh depiction of these well-known zombies and … Continue reading →

‘Movie 43’ doesn’t make the cut

This image released by Relativity Media shows Kate Bosworth, left, and Richard Gere in a scene from

When a movie actually has the word “movie” in the title, one would think they are sitting through an hour and a half of a production that includes a plot and a development of characters. In basic fundamentals of learning, it has been taught that a successful story includes an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and a … Continue reading →

'Hansel & Gretel' falls short

Paramount Pictures photo by DAVID APPLEBYGemma Arterton is Gretel, left, and Jeremy Renner is Hansel in a scene from Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.

First there was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Now there’s Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. In the fairy tale collected and published by the Brothers Grimm, Hansel and Gretel are children who, after they’re abandoned by their parents, fall into a trap set by a cannibal witch. But the children outwit their captor and escape. … Continue reading →

Oscar-winning actors are 'Stand Up Guys'

Photo by SAEED ADYANIChristopher Walken, from left, as Doc, Alan Arkin as Hirsch and Al Pacino as Val star in Stand Up Guys.

Stand Up Guys is a modestly budgeted movie loaded with charm, amusement and poignant moments that arrive with the unannounced stealth of a neighbor’s cat. A trio of Oscar-winning old pros come together to play three retired partners in crime. It’s a treat to see Al Pacino, 72, Christopher Walken, 69, and Alan Arkin, 78, at … Continue reading →

'The Baytown Outlaws' doesn’t live up to potential

Photo provided by phase4filmsEva Longoria plays Celeste in The Baytown Outlaws, showing at Chalmette Movies.

Filmmakers who want to out-Tarantino writer-director Quentin Tarantino had best beware. The soon-to-be 50 filmmaker behind Django Unchained, Inglourious Basterds, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction is the undisputed master at making Tarantino movies. Barry Battles, also a writer-director, may have had a good idea behind the Slidell-shot The Baytown Outlaws, but the execution of this bloody, … Continue reading →

‘Parker’ is rather perfunctory

This film publicity image released by FilmDistrict shows Jason Statham, left, and Jennifer Lopes in a scene from

“Parker” plays like the bloodiest promotional video ever made for Palm Beach tourism. Stabbings, explosions and furniture-smashing brawls occur at some of the ritziest (and name-checked) locations within the sun-splashed, pastel-soaked slab of Florida opulence. Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the idea of The Breakers. The city is the setting for an elaborate, $50 million … Continue reading →

'Broken City' could use some fixing

20th Century Fox photo by BARRY WETCHERMark Wahlberg stars in Broken City, which opens in theaters Friday.

It should come as no surprise that every character in a movie called Broken City is either rotten to the core, or a liar, or a schemer, or the bearer of seriously damaging secrets. What is surprising — and frustrating, really — is that these characters never feel like real people, despite a series … Continue reading →

Schwarzenegger back for 'The Last Stand'

Lionsgate photo by MERRICK MORTONForest Whitaker, left, and Arnold Schwarzenegger share a scene in The Last Stand.

Having played the part of governor of California from 2003 to 2011, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in action for The Last Stand. It’s his first leading role since 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. But moviegoers didn’t come out in big numbers for The Last Stand during its opening weekend. The film’s ninth place finish … Continue reading →