It Could Happen to You is a delightful romantic comedy that’s inspirational and heartwarming. In this New York fairytale a beat cop promises half of his potential lotto winnings to a waitress in lieu of a tip, but when he wins the money brings about a strange and whimsical journey of ups and downs. Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda are charming together and deliver wonderful performances. Rosie Perez however, is as annoying as all get-out. Also, the plot is a bit formulaic at times, and there are issues with the pacing. Yet while it has its flaws, It Could Happen to You is a lot of fun.
“Never give up, never surrender!” Galaxy Quest is an extraordinary sci-fi comedy that’s smart and funny. The story follows a group of washed up actors from the cult sci-fi television series Galaxy Quest, who are abducted by a race of aliens that have no concept of fiction and see the Galaxy Quest cast as real life heroes. Starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Sam Rockwell, the cast is quiet impressive; giving exceptional performances that balance the humor and the action. And the comedy itself especially good and does an excellent job at spoofing the sci-fi genre and its topes; brilliantly satirizes ‘60s science fiction television (such as Star Trek), as well as the culture of fandom. By Grabthar’s Hammer, Galaxy Quest is a hilariously entertaining adventure.
“Greetings Starfighters...” A science fiction classic, The Last Starfighter delivers an imaginative, action-packed adventure. After breaking the record on the Starfighter arcade game at his trailer park, Alex Rogan is approached by the game’s creator and taken to a space-station on a distant planet where he learns that the arcade game was really an alien recruiting tool to find Starfighters to defend the Star League against an invasion force. Starring Lance Guest, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Robert Preston, the film has a good cast that delivers some pretty strong performances. And, as one of the first feature films to use CGI, the special effects are incredibly innovative and revolutionary for their time. The score by Craig Safan is also extraordinarily well-done, and is full of sweeping themes. Though it’s aged a bit, The Last Starfighter is a fun and entertaining space odyssey.
It’s game on in the goofball comedy Pixels. After mistaking a message from a NASA probe as an intergalactic military challenge, an alien race sends an army to Earth to fight a series of battles, each based on a classic arcade game, that will determine the fate of humanity. Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, and Peter Dinklage, the film has a fairly strong cast. The writing however, is rather poor; as the writers seem to have an idea of what they want to do, but don’t quite know how to get there. Still, the action sequences are pretty good and use the video game motif especially well.Pixels is entertaining and delivers a few laughs, but it’s a bit muddled at times.
Dan Aykroyd and John Landis get the band back together for the reunion film Blues Brothers 2000. Less of a sequel and more of a remake, the story is beat for beat the same as the original; which shows a complete lack of originality and creativity, making the film utterly pointless. But beyond that, the tone is inconsistent and is full of cartoonishness and fantasy themes that don’t work. A spectacular mess, Blues Brothers 2000 has no idea what it’s doing.
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are Jake and Elwood Blues, two blues musicians “on a mission from God,” in the hilarious comedy The Blues Brothers. Directed and co-written by John Landis, this popular Saturday Night Live sketch gets turned into a full length film that follows Jake and Elwood as they get their old band back together to raise money to save an orphanage. A virtual musical extravaganza, there are featured cameos from James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles; all in fun, energetic musical numbers. Some of the jokes are a little corny, but Belushi and Aykroyd’s charisma is just too irresistible. Wildly entertaining and full of laughs, The Blues Brothers is a classic ‘80s comedy with soul.
“Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?” From writer/director John Hughes comes one of the most iconic films of the ‘80s, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The story follows high school senior Ferris Bueller, who ditches school in order to have a day of adventure and gets into crazy shenanigans with his freinds. Starring Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, and Jennifer Grey, the film has a great cast; Broderick in particular has a lot of charisma. And the comedy is especially well-written, with some very clever meta humor and breaking of the fourth wall. Entertaining and incredibly fun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is an excellent comedy and one of John Hughes’ best films.
Beating a dead horse, the Home Alone franchise delivers a fifth installment The Holiday Heist. When a team of art thieves attempt to break into a suburban house in Maine to steal an elusive painting, they must first go through 10-year old Finn Baxter, who’s determined to protect is house and his sister while his parents are away at a Christmas party. Christian Martyn is completely miscast as Finn, and is a major detriment to the film. And the thieves aren’t really all that villainous; making it difficult to take pleasure when they fall into Finn’s traps, particularly since they don’t know Finn and aren’t trying to hurt him. There are a couple cute jokes, but for the most part the humor is rather bland and none of the slapstick really works. Home Alone: The Holiday Heist is a pointless film that has strayed far, far from the original.
The story of the McCallisters continues with a whole new cast in Home Alone 4. With his parents in the middle of a divorce, Kevin chooses to stay with his father and his new girlfriend for Christmas and runs into his old nemesis Marv while he’s casing the house. The new cast isn’t as good as the original; particularly Mike Weinberg, who has none of the charm or charisma of Macaulay Culkin, and French Stewart is a poor substitute for Daniel Stern. Following in the mold of part 3, the humor is all in the slapstick; which is all over-the-top goofball shtick. And what dramatic heartfelt moments there are come off as artificial, with no substance to them. Home Alone 4 is a desperate attempt to revive a series that is long past its prime and has no magic left to it.
Laura Vandervoort stars in the ABC Family Christmas film Desperately Seeking Santa. The story follows a businesswoman who launches a Sexy Santa promotion to increase sales at her mall and soon finds herself falling for him. Vandervoort gives a strong performance and has good chemistry with co-star Nick Zano. However, the plot is full of contrivances and the usual holiday tropes and clichés. Still, there are some nice bits of humor and some touching dramatic moments. Despite its formulaic nature, Desperately Seeking Santa is an entertaining and fun romantic comedy with a bit of Christmas spirit.
From Netflix comes the holiday special A Very Murray Christmas. Actually, it’s kind of an anti-holiday special as it’s setup as a holiday variety show hosted by Bill Murray that gets cancelled by a snow storm; leaving Murray to mill around the hotel singing melancholy Christmas songs and socializing with hotel guests and staff. The special guests include Paul Shaffer, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Rashida Jones, Chris Rock, and Amy Poehler, some playing themselves and others playing characters. It all works surprisingly well, playing into Murray’s sarcastic band of humor while still having a festive, Christmassy spirit. Also, the nontraditional songs, such as “Christmas Blues,” “Alone on Christmas Day,” and “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin,” do a good job at setting the tone. It’s not for everyone, but A Very Murray Christmas is an entertaining holiday special that, in its own way, celebrates the season.
Hulk Hogan is the Santa with Muscles in this atrociously awful children’s film. The story follows an eccentric businessman who leads police on a high speed chase and ends up hiding out at a mall where he gets knocked on the head and wakes up believing that he’s Santa Claus. Hogan’s “acting” is terrible; just crewing up the scenery. But Hogan is just one of a myriad of problems: the plot is ridiculous as all get-out, the villains are buffoons, the fight scenes are lame, and the costumes and sets look cheap. Complete and utter garbage, Santa with Muscles ranks among the worst Christmas films ever made, and for good reason.
Ashley Newbrough stars in the charming romantic comedy Saving Christmas Spirit. Fearing that she’ll lose her job due to upcoming budget cuts, archaeologist Lucy Stewart travels to Scotland to study a journal in the hopes that it will lead to an archaeological find that will save her job; and while there she begins to fall for a local scotch brewer who shows her around town and teaches her the local lore. Newbrough gives a strong performance and has good chemistry with co-star James Robinson. However, the rest of the cast is rather weak; playing one-dimensional stereotypes. And the plot is kind of all over the place, full of Christmas movie tropes; young love, estranged family members reconnecting, trying to save a failing business from closing, and even Christmas spirits. Yet while it’s a mess at times, Saving Christmas Spirit is also lighthearted and fun.
From director John Woo comes the holiday action film Silent Night. The story follows a father grieving over the loss of his son as he trains and prepares to get revenge on the LA gang responsible on Christmas Eve. Joel Kinnaman leads the cast and gives a pretty strong performance; especially considering that he has to convey everything through looks and body language. The dialog free motif of the film is rather interesting but requires a number of conceits (too many really) to work; however, overall it does a pretty impressive job at conveying plot information nonverbally. Additionally, the fight scenes are dynamic and exciting, with a visceral feel to them. Silent Night is a captivating film with a unique vision that, while it doesn’t completely work, is entertaining and full of thrills.
A crazy mess, It’s a Wonderful Knife is nonsensical garbage. After getting a college rejection letter and discovering that her boyfriend is cheating on her, Winnie Carruthers wishes that she was never born and finds herself in world where her town is being terrorized by a serial killer that she had killed the year before. Jane Widdop gives a fairly good performance as the lead, but the rest of the cast is pretty bad. And the plot is convoluted as all get-out; making less and less sense as it goes on. But worst of all, the killer isn’t at all scary and has no sense of menace, and the kill scenes are rather lame and perfunctory. It’s a Wonderful Knife has an interesting premise, but it doesn’t know what to do with it.
From McG comes the Netflix family comedy Family Switch. After going to the observatory to see a planetary alignment, the Walker family finds themselves having switched bodies and have to live out each other’s lives (with the kids having to go to their parent’s jobs and the parents having to go to their kid’s school activities) until they can find a way to switch back. Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms lead the cast and deliver good performances, and the child actors, Emma Myers and Brady Noon, and pretty good too. Also, the writers do a nice job at using the body swop tropes without making them seem overly silly or trite. And the comedy is well-done too; finding a nice balance of broad humor and satire. Still, the plot is formulaic and predictable, and full of contrivances. Yet while it has some problems, Family Switch is a fun and entertaining holiday film.
Holiday in the Vineyards is a fun and entertaining romantic comedy. The story follows the son of a wine mogul who’s sent undercover to discover who their potential competition is for an upcoming vineyard sale, but in the process he falls for the real-estate agent and comes to known and care for the people of the community. Josh Swickard and Sol Rodriguez lead the cast and have good chemistry together. Additionally, the comedy is well-done and the there’s a nice message about family and friendship. And the soundtrack does a good job at complimenting the scenes and at setting the right tone. It’s a little formulaic in parts, but overall Holiday in the Vineyard is a lovely holiday treat.
Christmas Cupcakes is a formulaic, low-budget holiday film. When their father passes away two sisters decide to reopen his bakery, but when financial troubles threaten to bankrupt them they enter a televised baking competition. The acting is pretty bad, but not nearly as bad as the script with its cheesy dialog, plot tropes, and one-dimensional characters. And the sets look cheap as all get-out, and the lack of background extras is quite noticeable; as no one is shown shopping at the bakery or working on the television baking show. It has a few cute moments, bit overall Christmas Cupcakes is a poorly made and rather dull family film.
Formulaic tripe, Best. Christmas. Ever! is anything but. When Charlotte’s son mistakes her sarcasm for a Christmas wish, he reprograms their driving route to take them to her old college friend’s house; and once there, Charlotte takes the opportunity to do some snooping, trying to poke holes in her friend’s braggadocious Christmas letter. Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood, and Jason Biggs lead the cast, but their performances aren’t very good; in fact, Brandy is exceedingly bad. And while the writers do a fair job at creating a sense of mystery to Charlotte’s quest to expose her friend’s Christmas letter as a fraud, the plot is abandoned halfway through the film in favor of a trite plot about friendship; which creates a number of inconsistences and story problems. Also, there’s some rather blatant environmentalist propaganda that comes off as forced. A poorly made film, Best. Christmas. Ever! is a hodgepodge of holiday clichés that doesn’t really work.
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine star in the Academy Award winning drama The Apartment. An office worker at a New York insurance company tries to win the favor of his bosses by loaning out his apartment for their extramarital liaisons, but things take a dark turn when he finds one of the women having overdosed on sleeping pills in his bed. Lemmon and MacLaine both deliver incredibly strong performances and have good chemistry together. And the writers do an impressive job as balancing the comedy and the drama. Still, a number of the characters (particularly the cheating husbands) are underdeveloped and come off as one-dimensional stereotypes. Yet while it has a few problems, The Apartment is an entertaining film with some interesting things to say.
Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close star in the made-for-television remake of The Lion in Winter. King Henry II holds a Christmas court to determine who will succeed him as the next King of England, meanwhile his sons and the queen scheme and plot behind his back. Unfortunately the shadows of Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn loom large, and while Steward and Close both deliver strong performance, in comparison they come up lacking. In fact, nearly everything, the costumes, the sets, the music, the cinematography, are all (while decent for a television budget) inferior to the ‘68 film. And it doesn’t do anything new or interesting with the material, following James Goldman’s original screenplay beat for beat. While entertaining, this made-for-television The Lion in Winter is but a pale imitation of the theatrical version.
Lindsay Lohan stars in the poorly made erotic thriller I Know Who Killed Me. When a stripper named Dakota Moss, who looks identical to a kidnapping victim named Aubrey Fleming, is found in a ditch with multiple amputations, she starts to suspect that she and Aubrey are connected and that she’s being effected by what Aubrey’s kidnapper is doing to her. The acting is pretty bad, especially Lohan, though to be fair the script does them no favors with some atrocious dialog and ridiculous plot contrivances. And the eroticism just comes off as trashy, lacking any sensuousness. Still, there is a bit of intrigue to the Dakota/Aubrey mystery, as well as a couple of intense and frightening scenes. I Know Who Killed Me has an interesting concept, but before long it falls apart and becomes a convoluted mess.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is a pretty rote prequel that delivers some thrills. Expanding on a chapter of the Stephen King book, the story follows Jud Crandallas he discovers that his childhood friend who recently returned from Vietnam was raised from the dead using the ancient Indian burial ground. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of mystery or suspense; as the plot doesn’t deviant from what was in the book, nor does it expand on it that much. Still, there are a few interesting changes and the director adds a bit of atmosphere and tension. Also, the violence and gore is fairly well-done, providing some scary moments. Yet while Pet Sematary: Bloodlines isn’t a bad film, it’s wholly forgettable, retreading the same ground as the previous films.
Inspired by a true story (of sorts), Cocaine Bear is a wickedly entertaining horror-comedy. When a plane carrying cocaine dumps it’s cargo over a national park, a bear gets into it and starts behaving erratically; threatening the hikers and the drug dealers and police that come looking for the cocaine. Featuring Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta, the film has a pretty good cast. And although the bear is obviously CGI, the animators do an impressive job at giving it personality and expressive looks. Also, director Elizabeth Banks nicely balances the comedy and the violence. However, the gore can be a little cartoonish and fake looking at times. While it has a few problems, overall Cocaine Bear is a fun film that delivers some good laughs.
Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin star in the crime drama Stillwater. When his daughter is convicted of murder while studying abroad in France, Bill Baker goes to visit her in prison and attempts to exonerate her when her lawyer refuses to pursue the case any further. Damon gives an incredibly strong performance, and Breslin is pretty good as well. But the plot meanders a bit too much and loses focus. Also, there’s an attempt to makes some political commentary that comes off as rather awkward and muddled. It has a few compelling moments, but overall Stillwater is an underwhelming film.
Spin Me Round is a quirky indie comedy that’s kind of all over the place. The story follows a restaurant manager who’s sent to Italy for a training seminar and ends up having a whirlwind romance with the restaurant’s founder, but before long she starts to suspect that that something sinister is going on at the seminar. Starring Alison Brie, Zach Woods, Molly Shannon, and Aubrey Plaza, the film has a good cast. However, the writing is rather weak; as the plot meanders a bit and goes off in a number of different directions. Yet the mystery is fairly intriguing and takes some fun and interesting turns. It doesn’t all come together that well, but _Spin Me Round _ is entertaining and delivers few laughs.
The Columbo murder mystery series comes to an end with the mediocre thriller Columbo Likes the Nightlife. When a freelance journalist is found murdered, the case leads Lt. Columbo back to a nightclub owner who’s involved with an actress that the journalist was doing a story on. The acting is rather poor, and even Peter Falk seems to be phoning in his performance. The storytelling is also particularly weak; as the clues are extraordinarily obvious and the characters are underdeveloped. Additionally, the soundtrack is amateurish and uses generic club music that’s extremely cheesy. Columbo Likes the Nightlife is an underwhelming crime thriller that tries to coast by on the old Columbo charm, but it’s not all that compelling.
The penultimate thriller in the Columbo series, Murder with Too Many Notes is a suspenseful mystery that has a comedic edge. The story follows award winning music conductor Findlay Crawford who kills his understudy after he threatened to expose Crawford’s plagiarism; but Crawford’s plan runs afoul when Lt. Columbo notices some things that don’t add up. Billy Connolly gives a wonderful performance and makes for an intriguing villain for Columbo to match wits with. And while Peter Falk looks a little worn, he’s able to incorporate that into his character and gives Lt. Columbo a new energy. Well-crafted and entertaining, Murder with Too Many Notes is an impressive crime drama.
The Columbo murder mystery Ashes to Ashes is an intriguing thriller. When an investigative reporter goes missing Lt. Columbo is tasked with finding her, and before long he starts to suspect a shady funeral director. Patrick McGoohan returns to the series once again and gives a very strong performance. However, the writing is rather poor and doesn’t bring a lot of suspense or danger to the film. Still, there’s a nice mixture of comedy and the plot is pretty interesting. Ashes to Ashes has some weaknesses, but it also has that old Columbo charm.
William Shatner makes his second appearance in the Columbo series in Butterfly in Shades of Grey. To stop his daughter from running off to pursue a writing career, radio talk show host Fielding Chase kills the man who was shopping her book; but Columbo suspects that Chase’s alibi may be too perfect. Shatner gives a charismatic performance and has great interplay with Falk. However, the Chase character is too much of an obvious parody of Rush Limbaugh; which distracts from the plot. Still, the mystery is quite intriguing and has some cleverness to it. Despite its overt political tones, Butterfly in Shades of Grey is a solid crime thriller.
