Is there anything new to say about Louisa May Alcott’s beloved, much-adapted classic? Thrillingly, Greta Gerwig finds that there is.
Noah Baumbach tells persuasive stories about unhappy families. This is one of his most insightful.
Taika Waititi has directed some cracking comedies, but can even he make Hitler funny?
How can you watch a movie when you keep wanting to close your eyes in prayer?
When they announced The Lego Movie, this is basically the movie I thought we were going to get.
If a parent having The Talk with their kids to you means the birds and the bees, you ought to watch this movie.
The superhero movie to end all superhero movies? Or every superhero movie at once?
Clearly I am not a vampire. As you can see here, I’ve changed quite a bit in the last six years … not necessarily in my opinion of this franchise.
I dared to hope this one would be more than merely good. I was afraid it would be less than good.
No infinity. No war. (Almost.) Why can’t more Marvel movies be like this?
It’s funny to think of people scratching their heads when this “quiet” film is justly nominated for sound editing and sound mixing Oscars.
According to Paul Valéry, art is “never finished, only abandoned.” Maybe so, but this is the first Pixar movie that really glaringly illustrates the point.
I’m not sure we get to know any characters in all of cinema quite the way we get to know Mason Evans, Jr. and his family.
I want to say I love the idea for Little Orphan Hushpuppy … but I’m not convinced there’s actually an idea here.
“Will you follow me … one last time?” Well, if you promise it’s the last time.
Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde’s 30-year-marriage gets the Wikipedia treatment, if Wikipedia were prettier, and sanitized.
Katniss Everdeen may be the Mockingjay now, but Jennifer Lawrence is still the girl on fire.
It’s a Marvel movie! It’s a Disney cartoon! It’s … a Marney movie! It’s set in San Fransokyo! Wait, what?
Watching Woody Allen’s latest, starring Colin Firth and Emma Stone, is like watching your uncle doing a card trick you’ve seen him do a hundred times.
From the star of 42 and the director of The Help comes a film I enjoyed more than either of those.
While I didn’t care for this movie as much as I hoped I would, I will say I went right from the theater to an Indian restaurant, where I got something I enjoyed more.
Thanks to this film, I’ll be adding “Shrinking World Syndrome” to SDG’s Very, Very Little Movie Glossary.
A question I couldn’t get to in 60 seconds: What’s the real story with the creepy, green spaced-out tribal warriors? Can anyone explain that?
Looking at those Cars eyes is worse than having no remnant of Pixar at all this year.
Édgar Ramírez might be my favorite horror-movie priest.
I watched pretty much the whole second half of this movie with a smile on my face.
I’m a sucker for a good time-bending movie. This is a good time-bending movie.
Angelina Jolie is perfect for the part of Disney’s most iconically evil villainess. If only they’d let her play it for more than one scene.
The director who launched the new era of comic-book movies 14 years ago with X-Men is back.
The latest Hollywood take on the most successful movie monster of all time is a huge hit with audiences and critics…but I’m not feeling the love.
What happens when an American sports agent goes to the land of cricket, the Taj Mahal and endless traffic jams looking for anyone who can pitch upwards of 80mph?
I like Lawrence Toppman’s comment on this one: “This sequel is, by design, entirely absorbing and satisfying without being one whit memorable.”
I took two minutes to talk about this one, and still got in less than half of what bothered me about it.
I can’t imagine the soul who could watch this movie without smiling.
Jason Siegel and Amy Adams are out. Can Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tiny Fey pick up the slack?
After ten years, Jesus is back on the big screen. Was it worth the wait?
The first major big-studio Bible film in decades is a dark, divisive, personal film from the director of Pi, The Fountain and Black Swan.
Of the 2013 Christmas season’s trio of religiously inflected Christmas movies, this one just might be the most deserving of your time.
I appreciated the first Hunger Games movie, but wasn’t eager to watch it again at the time. The sequel has me wanting to watch the first film again — in a good way.
Compared to Disney’s last (and only other) computer-animated fairy tale, Tangled, Frozen has twice the princesses, twice the hunky love interests, twice the domesticated anthropomorphic ungulates … but not a fraction of the humanity.
Is Loki a villain or an antihero? Either way, the fan favorite is basically the Marvel Universe’s answer to Catwoman, but he can’t carry the movie if he isn’t the main antagonist.
Orson Scott Card’s classic sci-fi tale emerges from a decade of development hell with its themes and story maybe 50 percent intact — which doesn’t make it a bad film.
Sandra Bullock shines in Alfonso Cuarón’s mesmerizing action thriller in space, a rare Hollywood spectacle with a touch of spiritual awareness.
Part of me kind of wishes they had kept the original title Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2: my 60-second “Reel Faith” review.
Digitally remastered from the original negatives, painstakingly restored, The Wizard of Oz celebrates its 75th anniversary in style. Here’s my “Reel Faith” 60-second tribute to this beloved classic.
The director of District 9 is back … with a bigger budget and name stars.
It may be Pixar Ultra-Lite, but Disney’s Planes is a pleasant change of pace from the likes of The Croods and Turbo.
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are two great tastes that taste great together. So why did this film leave a sour taste in my mouth? 2 Guns: my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
He’s the best there is at what he does, but what he does isn’t very nice. The Wolverine: my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
Oscar Grant just might be the most memorable character I’ve encountered on the big screen this year.
Thirty years after The Exorcist, when it comes to fighting the powers of hell, the Catholic Church still has the heavy artillery, as Roger Ebert once wrote.
He was bad to the bone. Now he’s Dad to the bone. Does his mojo survive the transition? Despicable Me 2: my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
It’s the end of the world was we know it … again. World War Z: my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
Is it “okay to be okay” if you’re Pixar? Monsters University: : my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
Shakespeare knows how to throw a party … and so does Joss Whedon.
A Superman movie for our times — but is that a good thing? Man of Steel: my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
The closer you look, the less you see? Now You See Me: my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
Is After Earth really as bad as people are saying? Here’s my “Reel Faith” 60-second review.
Fast & Furious 6 in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
The Great Gatsby in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris…how bad could it be?
Iron Man Three in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Iron Man 2 in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Iron Man in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Studio Ghibli takes a break from high-flying fantasy in this naturalistic, nostalgic coming-of-age story.
42 in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
To the Wonder in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Producer Sam Raimi has been milking this premise since 1978. It’s no longer plausible that these teenagers still haven’t seen any movies like this.
Jurassic Park in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Dad, you’re a Neanderthal. No, really.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
The Call in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Oz the Great and Powerful in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Les Misérables in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review (plus product notes).
Hyde Park on Hudson in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Hitchcock in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Anna Karenina in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Life of Pi in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
It’s only his third outing, and already Daniel Craig is getting too old for this stuff.
Flight in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Wreck-It Ralph in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Frankenweenie, Burton’s best film in years, is available in a number of editions: four-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo with 3-D Blu-ray and digital copy; 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo, and 1-disc DVD.
Looper in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Even monsters need a vacation. I would like to think they’re more discerning than this.
It still makes me cry every time.
ParaNorman in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Don’t call her a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
Beasts of the Southern Wild in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
To Rome, with Love in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Brave in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review — plus clips from the film!
Snow White and the Huntsman in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Prometheus in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Moonrise Kingdom in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
For Greater Glory in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Dark Shadows in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
The Avengers in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Battleship in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” review.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits / In an Adventure with Scientists! in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Cabin in the Woods in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
Chimpanzee in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
The Hunger Games in 60 seconds: my “Reel Faith” review.
We Have a Pope in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” video review.
The Kid with a Bike in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” video review.
21 Jump Street in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” video review.
Wrath of the Titans in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” video review.
John Carter in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” video review.
The Lorax in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” video review.
The Secret World of Arrietty in 60 seconds: My “Reel Faith” video review.
The Ides of March: my “Reel Faith” review.
Here’s my 30-second take on War Horse.
Here’s my 30-second take on The Adventures of Tintin.
Here’s my 30-second take on The Artist.
Here’s my 30-second take on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
Here’s my 30-second take on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Here’s my 30-second take on Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.
Here’s my 30-second take on Aardman Animation’s Arthur Christmas.
Here’s my 30-second take on Twilight – Breaking Dawn: Part 1.
Disney’s Tangled in 30 seconds — in rhyming verse.
Here’s my 30-second rhyming review of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Don’t give them any more of your time.
Here’s my 30-second take on Tower Heist.
Here’s my 30-second take on Machine Gun Preacher. See also my related interview with Sam Childers.
Contagion may not be everyone’s ideal date movie, but I’m married to an RN who prefers a good medical thriller to a trite chick flick. Suz was impressed with the technical realism of Contagion. I was impressed too. Here’s my 30-second take.
J. J. Abrams is a skilled storyteller, but has a bad habit of over-promising and under-delivering.
Green Lantern: my “Reel Faith” review.
Fasten your seat belts … I think this is the fastest talking I’ve done in any of these reviews!
If you don’t have 30 seconds to spare, here’s a spoiler: There aren’t really any dragons.
I just want to say: How often does the opportunity come to rhyme “island” and “Thailand”?
The hunt for bin Laden may be over, but let’s not forget: Hop is still in theaters, and will soon be coming to DVD.
Paying tribute to Winter’s Bone in a 30-second rhyming review presented some challenges. I decided to riff on one of the bluegrass songs in the film, although without instruments (and with only 30 seconds to get it out) I had to make some adjustments to the rhythm and melody.
Back from a week in Spain! More to come this week on Of Gods and Men, once I catch my breath—and catch up on a few other things—but for now here’s my 30-second look at Inception. Enjoy!
My latest Reel Faith YouTube mini-review.
There is no excuse for this, I know. So I won’t try. Creation myths may need a devil, but Mark Zuckerberg didn’t make me do it. Mea cula, mea cula, mea maxima culpa.
Complementing my full-length review of The Adjustment Bureau, here’s my 30-second take on the film in verse—the latest of my “Reel Faith” 30-second reviews from NET TV …
Johnny Depp is a wet blanket, and Angelina Jolie cranks the glamour so high she’s no longer human, in this would-be Charade style light-hearted romantic thriller. (There is one good scene, the boat chase in Venice.)
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but here is a movie that kind of makes me want to revisit The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. This is not a good sign.
The Rock versus massive earthquake event. Seems fair.
Copyright © 2000– Steven D. Greydanus. All rights reserved.