…man, even thinking of an appropriate intro blurb for linking my review of The Secret Life of Pets feels like as much a chore as writing the review itself. What a nothing of a movie. It isn’t terrible. It isn’t good. It is awkward and oddly structured, and you can see where Chris Renaud and Yarrow … Continue reading
You know what? Whatever. I liked Central Intelligence. I came down hard on it because it could stand improvement on a molecular level, and a few tweaks might have elevated it to greatness; it’s a movie with an identity crisis, wherein it cannot decide if it is a serious action comedy (and therefore understands how spy … Continue reading
“When do wry race jokes stumble over the line and devolve into straight-up racism? People like Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor and Louis C.K. have proven that color barriers can indeed be funny, but only because those barriers beg to be broken down. Etan Cohen, director and co-writer on Get Hard, can’t even plant a single … Continue reading
“The Wedding Ringer begins with a tracking shot that could almost be called “bravura.” The camera starts in a kitchen, following a dish’s journey from a prep station, to a waiter’s tray, to a crowded hall where a wedding reception is in full swing. Standing at the center of the soirée is Kevin Hart, who, … Continue reading
There’s a near-fatal overload of ideas bouncing around in the hulking frame of Nick Stoller’s The Five-Year Engagement, his follow-up to 2010’s Get Him to the Greek. Primarily a comedy, the film examines not simply marriage—as the title dictates—but the reversing and alteration of gender roles in modern relationships, which I admit sounds high-minded … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 