REVIEW: 'Men in Black III' steps back in time to freshen franchise

Really "Men in Black" is the perfect summer-blockbuster franchise. It boasts the high concept of a top-secret law enforcement agency that monitors alien activity on earth, but at its heart it is basically a nimble and traditional police procedural.

May 25, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

Pop Goes the Culture: Firing of 'Community' creator signals end of innovative network TV

A seemingly insignificant little bit of news from the world of television came out last week when NBC announced its new fall lineup. The low-rated sitcom "Community" was renewed for 13 new episodes; however, it will be returning without show runner and creator Dan Harmon who was, for all intents …

May 25, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: All-star cast delivers laughs in 'Expecting'

Pregnancy is a time in a couple's life that is rife with dramatic and comedic possibilities, which makes it the perfect subject to apply all the trappings of your standard romantic comedy.

May 18, 2012 | 6:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Battleship' founders under its own weight

Miss!

May 18, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'The Dictator' wrings laughs from torturing sensibilities

"The Dictator" is offensive, crude, politically incorrect, absurd, insulting and vulgar. It also made me laugh from beginning to end.

May 16, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: No salvation for 'Dark Shadows'

There is a point about halfway through the latest Tim Burton/Johnny Depp outing "Dark Shadows" where the movie morphs from being strange and interesting to being strange and tedious and just not very good.

May 11, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'The Avengers' assembles a whole as good as its parts

When I was a kid my friends and I used to make a drink called a 'suicide." This consisted of going to a local gas station and mixing every single drink available at the fountain into one gnarly concoction. It almost always tasted horrible, as common sense will tell you too many competing flavors …

May 04, 2012 | 5:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Memphis' hits all the right notes

The power of music to change hearts and minds is a common theme in musicals, but rarely has it been done better than in the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, "Memphis."

May 03, 2012 | 11:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: British humor keelhauls 'Pirates'

George Bernard Shaw once famously said that England and America are two countries separated by a common language. The same could probably be said about our collective senses of humor.

Apr 27, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Po' Cusack trapped in dreary 'Raven'

I have to give "The Raven" credit for being ambitious. Sadly it is an ambitious failure but, hey, at least they tried.

Apr 27, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Chimpanzee' delivers compelling monkey-business from Disney

Chimpanzees kind of creep me out. Oh, sure, they're cute and we've paraded them out for our entertainment for years in everything from the high-profile glories of "Tarzan" to the abject humiliation of "Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp."

Apr 20, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Solid cast keeps laughs coming in 'Think Like A Man'

There is a large potential for failure in an ensemble romantic comedy. It is a chain only as strong as its weakest link. A miscast actor or flimsy plot tangent can scuttle the entire movie.

Apr 20, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Cabin' cleverly twists together horror, humor

It's pretty clear from "The Cabin in the Woods" that co-writers Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard love horror movies almost as much as they are annoyed by them.

Apr 13, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Bully' flawed, but still powerful look at an everyday horror

Childhood is marked with a fair amount of cruelty. We all have memories of some indignity or humiliation we suffered as kids at the hands of another child.

Apr 13, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

Haiti: Earthquake relief one stone at a time

I remember being paralyzed by helplessness when watching the horrific news coverage of the 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti. I did literally the least I could do and texted a $10 donation to the Red Cross for disaster relief.

Apr 11, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'American Reunion' rolls out familiar 'Pie' recipe

Growing up is hard, even for a teen-sex-comedy franchise.

Apr 06, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

POP GOES THE CULTURE: Depp exploring comedic depths

After Johnny Depp's brief, but very funny cameo in the recent comedy "21 Jump Street," I found myself wondering about his sense of humor and whether the guy even possessed one.

Apr 04, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

POP GOES THE CULTURE: Divas who dare: 10 of the top big-screen heroines

With the release of "The Hunger Games," featuring lethal lady Katniss Everdeen, it got me thinking about her place in the pantheon of action heroes of the female persuasion.

Mar 23, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

• Related: Joe Williams: 'The Hunger Games' takes over for 'Twilight'
• Related: Joe Williams: What's new in theaters this week

REVIEW: 'Hunger Games' serves up meaty characterizations

It's only natural to want to compare "The Hunger Games" to "Twilight." Both are based on a series of young adult novels that were devoured primarily by teenage girls at a phenomenal rate.

Mar 23, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Jeff' a sweet slacker movie with plenty of surprises

The Duplass Brothers (Jay and Mark) employ a filmmaking style that is heavy on improvisation. Essentially what this means is their movies are really only as good as the actors they cast.

Mar 16, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: '21 Jump Street' arrestingly funny

Getting a movie made is actually a lot harder than you might think — especially when you consider that most of them look like they're made by a team of drunken monkeys that somehow got their hands on a high speed camera and a boom mic.

Mar 16, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Familial nightmare movie needs no talking about

Evil kid movies are nothing new. From "The Bad Seed" to "The Omen" to "The Good Son," kids have been creeping us out for years.

Mar 09, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'John Carter': Sci-fi fun from age of pulp fiction

I'm a sucker for a good space opera. You know, that hopeful and simple brand of science fiction that features grand adventures, reluctant heroes and a crater full of melodrama.

Mar 09, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Whimsy, message shine through in 'The Lorax

The phrase "I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees," was my first introduction to environmentalism.

Mar 02, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Project X': Party down, dudes

Director Todd Phillips is a proud supporter of good-natured anarchy as evidenced by his movies "Old School" and the two "Hangover" films.

Mar 02, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Act of Valor' SEALs the deal

I love a good action movie and have seen more than a few in my day; however I have never seen a movie quite like "Act of Valor."

Feb 24, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Wanderlust' wanders off comedy track

"Wanderlust" is the perfect title for the new Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston comedy because it is a potentially good movie that just gets lost along the way.

Feb 24, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

POP GOES THE CULTURE: No clear standout for Best Picture Oscar

Hey everybody! It's that magical time of year when Hollywood descends into a self-important and ultimately pointless orgy of competition, campaigning and self-adulation. It's Oscar season and I can't get enough of it! Hooray!

Feb 21, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'West Side Story': still 'pretty, witty and bright'

There are plenty of reasons to revive a classic musical, be it audience familiarity, high quality of the work or just a plain, old fashioned cash-grab.

Feb 16, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Denzel holds mortgage on 'Safe House'

If your by-the-numbers action/thriller is going to have any chance of standing out, you either need a bold director making a lot of interesting choices or have an exceptionally solid cast.

Feb 10, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

POP GOES THE CULTURE: "Don't Stop Believin'": One song's journey

I was sitting in the dark of the Fox Theatre last week watching the thoroughly enjoyable jukebox musical "Rock of Ages" wind to a close when I heard those familiar keyboard chords and the opening lyrics "Just a small town girl / Livin' in a lonely world."

Feb 10, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

POP GOES THE CULTURE: Hollywood loves going to Vegas, baby!

I must have been to Las Vegas hundreds of times. I've robbed its casinos with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, conjured the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson with Johnny Depp, examined bodies with its Crime Scene Investigators and I don't even remember what I got into with Zach Galifianakis.

Feb 03, 2012 | 9:15 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Oscar-nominated performances fail to save 'Albert Nobbs' from mediocrity

There is really only one reason "Albert Nobbs" was made into a movie, and that reason is Glenn Close. This movie was a passion project for Close, who not only stars as the titular character, but also served as executive producer, co-wrote the screenplay, helped co-write some of the music and hand…

Jan 27, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Rain hits all the right notes in Beatles tribute

Jan 23, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'A Dangerous Method': The headshrinkers' ball

The idea of seeing a psychiatrist for counseling or therapy in this day and age is so commonplace even tough guys like Tony Soprano are willing to lie down on the couch for a little head shrinking.

Jan 20, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' extremely divisive, incredibly poignant

There is a danger when a movie deals with a tragedy on the colossal scale of Sept. 11, 2001 in that it may cheapen a very real and very profound moment that impacted millions of people.

Jan 20, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Streep serves up prime performance in 'The Iron Lady'

Can we just go ahead and agree that it is time to anoint Meryl Streep as the world's greatest living actress? We could have the ceremony on some Alpine mountaintop where she would be allowed to sacrifice a publicist on the altar of artistic integrity.

Jan 13, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Contraband' leaves port without coherent plot

The biggest problem with the new Mark Wahlberg movie "Contraband" is that it can't decide if it wants to be a gritty crime drama, a rowdy action movie or a light-hearted heist film.

Jan 13, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

POP GOES THE CULTURE: Boob tube breaks through in 2011 with top dramas

A new year means many things to many people. For some it is a time of quiet reflection, for others it is a time to hopefully look forward to a new year full of opportunity and for others still it is a time to make sure that all of your laundered drug money is secure in secret offshore accounts. (…

Jan 09, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: "La Cage Aux Folles" plenty of high-steppin' fun

The musical "La Cage Aux Folles" makes quite an impression, and not just because it features a bunch of dudes in drag powering through some of the most physically demanding dance numbers to ever grace a Broadway stage. In heels no less.

Jan 05, 2012 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Spielberg puts viewers' emotions through paces in 'Warhorse

Director Steven Spielberg knows his way around a battlefield so well that any film that features some combination of the words "Spielberg," "war" and "epic" demands your attention.

Dec 25, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'The Artist' gives silent treatment to classic Hollywood melodrama

Amidst today's seemingly endless onslaught of technological advances, it is remarkably easy for any of us to feel a little obsolete.

Dec 23, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Spielberg, Jackson produce animated gem with 'Tintin

I have to admit that the iconic comic book character Tintin fits quite nicely into one of my pop culture blind spots. I knew vaguely he was a European (Belgian to be precise) boy-detective from the early part of the 20th Century who served as a forerunner for the likes of The Hardy Boys and Jonny…

Dec 21, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Beauty and Beast' fills stage with storybook enchantment

Some musicals feature such great songs and so strong a pedigree that they can only be successful. Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" is as close to a 'sure thing" as you'll ever see come off of Broadway.

Dec 21, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: David Fincher's 'Dragon Tattoo' a stunning return to dark world of serial killers

It is difficult for a movie to be fresh and innovative when it is an adaptation of an international best seller and simultaneously a remake of a moderately successful foreign film.

Dec 20, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: It's elementary, dear Watson, a man of action movie always prevails

When director Guy Ritchie decided to introduce Sherlock Holmes to the 21st Century he made two very important decisions.

Dec 16, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Muppets pull all the right strings in return to big screen

When I was a kid the Muppets were nothing short of a full-blown cultural phenomenon. During the late 1970s and early 80s they were everywhere, from movies to television to lunchboxes, and the iconic status of legends like Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse fell far behind that of Kermit the Frog.

Nov 23, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Scorsese unleashes 3D magic with 'Hugo'

The jury is still out on the long-term prospects of 3D movies. The recent wave of 3D has produced some decidedly mixed results with a few impressive examples (such as "Avatar") and lame attempts that feel like desperate grabs for cash by the studios (pretty much every other movie not named "Avata…

Nov 23, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: Penguins boogie around weak story line in 'Feet 2'

Around the middle part of the last decade, pop culture went penguin crazy. Much of the blame can be laid at the webbed feet of the documentary "March of the Penguins," which featured these flightless birds in all of their real-life adorableness.

Nov 18, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.

REVIEW: 'Breaking Dawn' delivers another Twilight swoon opera

After watching what is now the fourth (!) "Twilight" movie I now know how Bond must have felt when he faced off against Blofeld, or Sherlock Holmes when he matched wits with Professor Moriarty.

Nov 18, 2011 | 12:00 am | (Loading… ) comments.