Movie stars often bring the baggage of their previous efforts to new projects. We’ve now seen enough of Denzel Washington doing his Denzel Washington thing to be able to guess how any film he’s in will unfold just from the trailer. This isn’t necessarily a problem – if the movie can subvert our expectations, or at least do something new with the actor’s style, it will still be entertaining. Unfortunately, Safe House does neither of these things.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/safe-house-movie-review/

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Sometimes, filmmakers use gimmicks where none are needed. Chronicle plays out like a documentary filmed by the characters, similar to movies such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. But, while it does find some interesting ways to play with this concept, the gimmick ends up yanking us out of what might otherwise be an entertaining story.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/chronicle-movie-review/

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I often wonder why we’re drawn to stories where groups of people, one-by-one, get picked off by monsters, accidents, or the cruel forces of nature. I’m sure most dramatic theorists would say it’s about catharsis, the feeling of spiritual release brought about by an intense emotional experience. Personally, I think most people just like to say to themselves, “Wow. Glad that wasn’t me.”

The Grey is one such survival story, but in this case the gradual thinning of the ranks is in the service of a grander purpose. This elevates the movie’s dramatic ending, but it also renders much of the middle pointless and boring.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-grey-movie-review/

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the kind of film we rely on the British to make, since Hollywood often seems incapable of producing movies that don’t constantly explain themselves to the viewer, like we are six-year-old children. Indeed, at the screening I attended, I heard more than a few whispered conversations as people tried to follow what was going on. You might call that poor storytelling, but I call it a lack of patience brought on by years of Hollywood coddling. This is a film that definitely rewards the patient viewer.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-movie-review/

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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continues director Guy Ritchie’s efforts to turn the famous consulting detective into an action hero. But the more Holmes is moved in that direction, the more he moves away from the things that make the character who he is. Thus, while the sequel is fairly entertaining, it’s not as good as the first, and nowhere near many of the other stories in the Holmes canon.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows-movie-review/

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The great power of film is its ability to draw the viewer into a lifelike world, which is one of the best arguments for seeing movies on a big screen – when the picture fills your vision, it has that much more effect. While War Horse does pull you in with impressive visuals and a moving story, problems in the adaptation undercut the experience by continually reminding how artificial this world is.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/war-horse-movie-review/

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Director Steven Spielberg has spent nearly 30 years trying to bring The Adventures of Tintin to the big screen. The popular comics by Belgian artist Hergé have a worldwide fan base, but more so in Europe than in North America, which may limit the film’s appeal on these shores. Lack of knowledge of these stories should not deter you from seeing this movie, however. More than just an excellent family film, it’s an action-adventure on par with some of Spielberg’s best work.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-adventures-of-tintin-movie-review/

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via reoiv.com

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By way of full disclosure, I should mention at the start that I have not read Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, the bestselling Swedish mystery novels featuring punk hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. I also haven’t seen the trio of films originally made for Swedish television that were released to worldwide cinema two years ago. What I have seen is director David Fincher’s North American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and while it’s not perfect, it’s a riveting experience that will stay with you.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-movie-review/

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In real life, Tom Cruise inspires more eye rolls than excitement these days, but in the movies, he can still do the opposite. No matter how crazy the stunts or gadgets get in his Mission: Impossible movies, they still remain wild thrill rides. The sub-titled Ghost Protocol, fourth in the series, is just as good as the previous ones, even if the missions are beginning to seem a little less impossible.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/mission-impossible-ghost-protocol-movie-review/

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There are few movie sub-genres more predictable than the babysitting comedy. The sitter, usually reluctant, arrives at the house, meets the kids, who are all uniquely troublesome, sends the parents off, and then proceeds to take the kids out of the house on some wild, irresponsible, and dangerous errand. This type of movie only succeeds on its details and its jokes. Jonah Hill’s new movie, The Sitter, hasn’t thought out the former and doesn’t have enough of the latter.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-sitter-movie-review/

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Whether you consider it a blessing or a curse, we humans are obsessed with rational explanations. All children eventually wonder how Santa Claus delivers presents all over the world in one night, and because of this, there has been no shortage of family films and TV specials explaining how it’s done. Arthur Christmas is the latest of these, and while few of its explanatory ideas are new, it makes up for it with a story full of action, humour and heart.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/arthur-christmas-movie-review/

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Those of us with formative years in the 70s and 80s remember The Muppets with great fondness. Whether learning and dancing with them on Sesame Street, or enjoying the offbeat humour and easy class of The Muppet Show, there was always something about them that appealed, even to the older generation. But although they’ve never really gone away, it’s been a long time since The Muppets were a big thing. Now they’re back, and while most of the best jokes have been given away in the advertising, The Muppets is still great entertainment for kids and their nostalgia-prone parents.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-muppets-movie-review/

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I love sharing movies with my kids, and we watch a lot of them. However, “family” films, like all others, vary in quality and impression. I have a pretty good memory, but when it came time for us to see Happy Feet Two, I couldn’t remember seeing the original, which says something about it. And while I’m pretty sure the sequel will disappear down the same rabbit-hole in my mind, it does have its moments.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/happy-feet-two-movie-review/

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Being of a certain age, I grew up not knowing much about J. Edgar Hoover. By the time I came along, he had already become a pop culture cartoon, well known for his rumoured eccentricities. Knowing that Hoover was the architect of the modern Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, I was interested to learn more about him through director Clint Eastwood’s new film J. Edgar. But while it is interesting, the film lacks depth, and understanding its subject still proves elusive.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/j-edgar-movie-review/

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The best science fiction is about ideas. Even Star Wars has a story about the virtues of spirituality over technology. When sci-fi explores a great idea, that world can rattle around in one’s brain for days afterward. This is the case with In Time.

But a science fiction movie must still entertain. A bad movie, whatever the cause, distracts us from the story and pulls us out of the experience. Unfortunately, this is also the case with In Time.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/in-time-movie-review/

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Over the years, we have come to expect that movie sequels will usually be worse than the original. Creators often feel pressure to out-do themselves, and in doing so they trade good stories for empty spectacle and extraneous new characters. It’s usually even worse for “spin-off” movies, which take one or more of those extraneous characters and try to make their own franchises. I’m qualifying those last few sentences because Puss in Boots, a spin-off of the Shrek movies, is actually great fun and stands apart from its origins.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/puss-in-boots-movie-review/

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2003’s Johnny English introduced us to the titular bumbling superspy played by Rowan Atkinson, and was a fair attempt at poking fun at the ultra-cool James Bond movies. Now, eight years later, Atkinson is back with Johnny English Reborn, which seems a bit of a long stretch for a sequel, though it’s nice to see they haven’t made any attempt to hide his age. The new movie still isn’t fantastic, but it should please fans of the genre just fine.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/johnny-english-reborn-movie-review/

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Not every movie can be, or should be, a blockbuster. We sometimes forget this in our mad rush to tally box office receipts, see flashy visual effects, and follow the latest memes on YouTube. We forget that sometimes all it takes to be entertained is a simple and involving story.

There has been a lot of speculation prior to the opening of The Big Year that the movie has been abandoned by the studio, that it’s terrible, has no appeal, and will die a quick death at the box office. All of these things may or may not be true, but I found it enjoyable. It likely won’t give you what you’re looking for going in, but if you keep your expectations in check, it may surprise you.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-big-year-movie-review/

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There have been a lot of sports movies released this fall, and though it has an interesting science fiction aspect, Real Steel is really just another one. While kids will love the action, the movie’s devotion to sports clichés won’t impress their parents.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/real-steel-movie-review/

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