Matt Patches
‘3 Days to Kill’ Review
The promise of '3 Days to Kill': If Kevin Costner can assassinate a laundry list of people in three days, he'll receive the antidote to his terminal illness. The reality of '3 Days to Kill': If Kevin Costner can assassinate an indeterminable amount of people over an indeterminable amount of time while juggling quality time with his estranged daughter, then he'll continue being given treatment to h
Putting Up a Fight: Casey Affleck on ‘Out of the Furnace’ and the Things You’ve Read About Him That Definitely Aren’t True
Casey Affleck loves talking about movies, performance, filmmaking and story. He doesn't love how those conversations can be steered towards and twisted into portraits of his personal life, where gossip about his brother Ben Affleck and childhood friend Matt Damon wind up stealing the momentum of whatever project he's promoting. “Celebrity” often interferes with “actor” and, judging from his tone,
‘Homefront’ Review
A successful Jason Statham film requires a limited amount of cinematic resources: a stunt budget, a cartoon villain, a script with peppered with goons to punch in the face, and a Jason Statham. Hire a director who has streamed at least three Statham action movies off Netflix to cobble together a thin plot and — boom! — entertainment.
Perhaps because Oscar-nominated screenwriter/painter Sylvester S
‘The Best Man Holiday’ Review
Director Nancy Meyers ('Somethings Gotta Give,' 'It's Complicated') is criticized for writing and directing movies tailor made for upper-middle class white people. They're not bad, simply insidious for painting a fantasy world of luxury where the biggest challenges become surviving family vacations in mansion-sized summer homes. Bougie.
Meyers might take less flack if Hollywood made an attempt to
‘Runner Runner’ Review
“What can't Justin Timberlake do?” said the internet after the performer dominated 2013 with the release of two albums, a musical turn in Cannes favorite 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' and a handful of Jimmy Fallon late-night sketches that all went viral. 'Runner Runner' suggests there's really one thing: convince us he's anyone but Timberlake.
'Lincoln Lawyer' director Brad Furman directs the middling th
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Interview: Growing Up, Getting Old and ‘The World’s End’
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are serious blokes. Their new movie, 'The World's End,' acts as the finale of the informal "Cornetto" trilogy and once again partners the 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' pair with director Edgar Wright. And while it's a comedy in the vein of those two films, it's tackling material that's significantly more mature than anything they have done before. Alcoholis
‘Paranoia’ Review
While explaining his business model to the soon-to-be corporate spy Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth), tech magnate Nicolas Wyatt (Gary Oldman) relays a timeless adage: "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." That puts 'Paranoia' director Robert Luketic somewhere between the two superlatives, constructing his smart phone-enabled thriller out of every existing blueprint in history while win
‘Kick-Ass 2′ Review
Reverence for comic creator Mark Millar runs through the veins of 'Kick-Ass 2.' The affection is often on the nose: One minute, crime fighting high schooler Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is seen in front of a poster for Millar's 'American Jesus.' In a later flashback, his Dad hangs a piece of 'Superior' art on Dave's wall. The tips of a the hat are a blockade for writer/director Jeff Wadlow, whose
‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ Review
'Lee Daniels' The Butler' is an eight-course meal of movies served all at once. The entree is a searing racial drama, haunting in its depiction of America's stained history. The other seven courses, delivered without grace, flatten the taste. Fine ingredients — a rousing ensemble and sporadically sharp script — can't make up for a cook's sloppy work. 'The Butler' is a mishmash of prestige qualifie
‘RED 2′ Review
'RED 2' is faithful to 2010's 'RED' in that it makes very little sense and maximizes the talent on display. Entertaining without long-lasting satisfaction (seriously, does anyone remember what happened in 'Red' other than Helen Mirren busting up bad guys?). Mirren, Bruce Willis, and John Malkovich return as RED — Retired Extremely Dangerous — operatives, trained assassins who balance daily life wi