A dozen random observations about ‘Jaws’ for its 40th anniversary
Movie commentary: Here are some things you might’ve forgotten about Steven Spielberg’s classic.
Movies
Why aren’t the ‘Jurassic Park’ movies scary anymore?
Movie commentary: We all know it’s true: The “Jurassic Park” films are no longer scary. Here are some theories for why this is.
‘Jurassic World’ is ‘Jurassic Park’ on steroids
Movie review: I don’t mean it as a negative to say this is the original film on steroids. It’s a blast to see bigger dinos and a sprawling park.
Gorgeous-looking ‘Insurgent’ further explores ‘Divergent’ world (Movie review)
“Insurgent” further clarifies the political structure of the “Divergent” universe, features award-worthy set pieces in a run-down Chicago two centuries in the future and – like the original film – ultimately succeeds because Shailene Woodley is […]
‘Tomorrowland’: The latest cult classic from Damon Lindelof, or possibly just a bad film (Movie review)
The first thing I did after watching “Tomorrowland” and discussing its peculiarities with my buddy Michael was to look up articles explaining what the hell happened in the movie. (This Overmental piece is a decent one.) That’s what […]
Cannon, Banks deliver aca-competent follow-up with ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ (Movie review)
First-time director Elizabeth Banks, who also plays half of the “Pitch Perfect” series’ a cappella podcasting team, and returning screenwriter Kay Cannon deliver a slick, consistently fun and foot-tapping blockbuster to follow up the surprise […]
Garland smartly explores artificial intelligence in sparsely beautiful ‘Ex Machina’ (Movie review)
“Ex Machina” could be a stage play, as it features four actors in various austere rooms of an isolated scientific compound. Writer Alex Garland, who also penned the excellent zombie film “28 Days Later” (2002) and […]
10 movies John wouldn’t mind seeing this summer (Commentary)
Here are my picks for 10 movies to check out this summer: “Maggie” (May 8) – This could be what “Cop Land” was to Sylvester Stallone years ago: The movie where critics respect Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting […]
‘Lazarus Effect’ a tidy little 90-minute horror riff (Movie review)
“The Lazarus Effect,” a horror flick that recently hit the cheap theaters, is arguably not even as good as one of the weaker Season 1 “X-Files” episodes. In that episode, titled “Lazarus,” two people switch bodies […]
‘It Follows’ masterfully blends horror and coming-of-age genres (Movie review)
“It Follows,” the first great horror film of the year, mixes nightmare imagery with a poignant coming-of-age drama with a travelogue of economically depressed Detroit. The end result is something greater than the sum of its […]