HollywoodandFine.com The two most disappointing films of the season should have been two of the most gripping: “Unbroken” (also opening on Christmas) and Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper,” Eastwood’s second misfire of the year (after the deadly “Jersey Boys”). The film is based on the memoir by former SEAL sniper Chris …
HollywoodandFine.com This apparently is the week for multiple unnecessary sequels, with “The Hangover Part III” going up against “Fast & Furious 6” (twice as uncalled-for) for that all-important teen-age dollar. So I’ll give the same “meh” response to “H3” as I did to “Iron Man 3”: better than the second …
HollywoodandFine.com Derek Cianfrance’s “The Place Beyond the Pines” is a sure-handed effort from a director who proved himself capable of dramatizing difficult human emotions in “Blue Valentine.” “Pines,” opening Friday (3/29/13) in limited release, is perhaps the most linear film of the year. It deals with an overarching theme, even …
HollywoodandFine.com Feel-good movies about people with mental disorders – from “As Good As It Gets” to “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” and beyond – face the same challenge. They have to take the psychological issues they deal with – depression, OCD, bipolar disorder – seriously enough to avoid trivializing …
HollywoodandFine.com Stories within stories – “The Words” sometimes threatens to swallow itself whole. The fact that it doesn’t is a tribute to writer-directors Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, whose intriguing script uses each of its plotlines to resonate with and reflect the others. The film starts with Dennis Quaid, as …
HollywoodandFine.com The title of Dax Shepard’s “Hit & Run” doesn’t really make sense, given the movie itself. If it implies car chases, well, that’s accurate – but, again, it’s not about accidents. The only thing accidental here is that this movie got made – and they seem to have done …