Theatrical Reviews
In Theaters: Review of The Rum Diary
by Locke Peterseim | October 31st, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsFive Things About The Rum Diary – The Rum Diary is a languid, luxuriously sleazy, and oddly touching labor of love. Set in Puerto Rico in 1960, the richly boozy film is a sun-rotted treat for fans of Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, and Withnail & I. – 1) Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson’s Tangled [...]
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In Theaters: Review of Puss in Boots
by Erika Olson | October 29th, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsIn Theaters Review of Puss in Boots: Audiences finally learn the backstory of Shrek‘s wide-eyed breakout star in this clever, fast-paced adventure that’s—gasp!—actually worth watching in 3D. Here’s the good news: Puss in Boots is a high-energy romp through the outlaw kitty’s past that will have you laughing out loud with its spot-on “cat humor.” [...]
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In Theaters: Review of Paranormal Activity 3
by Locke Peterseim | October 21st, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsTheatrical Review: In what’s become an annual Halloween tradition, Paranormal Activity 3 keeps the demon-haunted series bumping and jolting along like a well-oiled scare machine. It’s all very familiar by now, but if the hype and novelty’s worn off, the movie’s ratcheted-up tension and dread still get the job done. Having creepily chronicled the “true” [...]
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In Theaters: Review of Footloose
by Locke Peterseim | October 15th, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsTheatrical Review: Remake haters, put down your pitchforks; turns out the Footloose kids really are all right. This new high-energy take on the beloved 1984 movie about teens who just wanna dance is a whole lot of fancy-free fun. You can argue it’s unnecessary or that Hollywood has “run out of ideas.” (Can we please [...]
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In Theaters: Review of The Ides of March
by Erika Olson | October 9th, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsIn Theaters Review of The Ides of March: George Clooney directs and Ryan Gosling stars in this smart, fast-paced thriller that will make you thank your lucky stars you don’t work in politics. (Unless you do. In which case, may I be so bold as to suggest some therapy?) I always get nervous when I [...]
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In Theaters: Review of 50/50
by Erika Olson | September 30th, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsIn Theaters Review of 50/50: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen take us along for an emotional ride in this dramedy loosely based on the real-life experience of screenwriter (and cancer survivor) Will Reiser. Cancer. It’s a word nobody ever wants to hear when they’re in a doctor’s office, yet all too many of us—or those [...]
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In Theaters: Review of Moneyball
by Locke Peterseim | September 23rd, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsTheatrical Review: Watching Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) use spreadsheets and stats to acquire players and win games isn’t as inside-baseball dry as it sounds. Instead, Moneyball subverts sport-movie clichés and triumphs as a thrilling, amusing, even moving low-ball ode to the game of Life’s hidden values and winning failures. In his 2003 book Moneyball: [...]
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In Theaters: Review of Drive
by Locke Peterseim | September 18th, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsTheatrical review: Its tale of a stoic antihero caught up in a gritty crime snafu may sound familiar, but Drive is a dazzling achievement in genre entertainment. Director Nicolas Winding Refn sharply styles the thriller with seemingly effortless mastery, while Ryan Gosling turns in yet another award-worthy performance. Gosling plays an unnamed stunt driver and [...]
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In Theaters: Review of Contagion
by Locke Peterseim | September 13th, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsTheatrical Review: Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet, Contagion is the best kind of disaster thriller: one that doesn’t need to hyper-charge reality or suspend belief with Hollywood clichés to scare up grippingly realistic drama and believable chills. Director Steven Soderbergh is forever allergic to anything [...]
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In Theaters: Review of Warrior
by Erika Olson | September 8th, 2011 | Filed under: Movies, Theatrical ReviewsIn Theaters Review of Warrior: You wouldn’t expect a film about estranged brothers beating each other down in a mixed martial arts competition to be one of the most crowd-pleasing, feel-good movies of the year, but it is. When I first heard about Warrior, my reaction was, “Another boxing movie?” I figured its production team [...]
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