— by ADAM POYNTER — Major holidays are a huge time for movies, especially for anyone who has kids off from school for prolonged periods of time. These are usually when the family-friendly films start to roll into theaters. This Easter we have “Hop,” directed by[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: Source Code
— by ADAM POYNTER — Mystery, chase, suspense and time displacement are all served up in director Duncan Jones’ “Source Code.” In the movie, Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a decorated army pilot fighting in Afghanistan. He wakes up on a train bound for Chicago[...]
Under Review: ‘Atlas Shrugged: Part I’
— by ADAM POYNTER — “Atlas Shrugged: Part I” was a movie very long in the making; not necessarily in the amount of time it took to shoot, but in the history behind the story. Ayn Rand first published “Atlas Shrugged” — her fourth and final novel — in 1957. Ran[...]
The 34th PIFF Best Film: ‘Incendies’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Incendies” is a powerful film that eclipses the art of storytelling through time. It has levels of understanding and insight that are so sharp the audience was left silent and still. It was no surprise that “Incendies” won the Oregon Audience Award for best[...]
Under Review: ‘Sucker Punch’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Zack Snyder made a name for himself after bursting onto the scene with the film “300.” He then went on to make “Watchmen” and “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” all of which were praised for a very distinct visual style and all were success[...]
Under Review: ‘Soul Surfer’
— by ADAM POYNTER — There have been many tales of triumph in the face of adversity, but not many that rival the story of Bethany Hamilton and the struggles she went through mentally, physically and emotionally after she was attacked by a 15- foot tiger shark on Oct. 31, 2003. It was[...]
Under Review: ‘Jane Eyre’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Focus Features — well known for its award-winning independent dramas — is taking us back to the time of courtship, suffering, forbidden love and tragedy in “Jane Eyre.” Not having read the novel, I went in with the thought of period romantic dramas lik[...]
Under Review: ‘Battle: Los Angeles’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Alien invasion movie have been around for a long time, so finding one that is completely original and satisfying on all levels is rare. With “Battle: Los Angeles,” Relativity Media and Columbia Pictures have given director Jonathan Liebesman — who is virtual[...]
Review: Win Win
— by ADAM POYNTER — We have seen a number of movies go from the Sundance Film Festival to getting picked up by major studios and then being released to the general public. That isn’t the case with the majority of the movies shown at this festival, though. Many amazing films will never [...]
Under Review: ‘Mars Needs Moms’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Walt Disney Pictures has been busy at work over the past 70 years producing animated and feature films that enthrall and envelop us in magic foreign lands and introduce us to many new characters and faces. This year alone, we are going to be seeing big releases such a[...]
Under Review: ‘The Desert of Forbidden Art’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “I found these paintings rolled up under the beds of old widows, buried in family trash, in dark corners of artists’ studios — sometimes even patching a hole in the roof. I ended up with a collection that no one in the Soviet Union would dare to[...]
Under Review: ‘The Adjustment Bureau’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Ever make a decision that you come to regret? Do you think about what could have been if you made a different choice? Fate, destiny and love all collide in the new dramatic thriller “The Adjustment Bureau.” Loosely based on the short story “Adjustment Team” by[...]
Under Review: ‘Rango’
— by SHERICE ANTOINETTE — When I watched the “Rango” trailer, I wasn’t impressed. The character design left me cold and I didn’t find anything cute or cuddly about the lead lizard, Rango. But as a Johnny Depp fan, his name sold me, and so I went in with low expectations, assuming[...]
Under Review: ‘Beastly’
— by AMANDA KOEHLER — Is “Beastly,” the modern twist on the classic “Beauty and the Beast,” a “tale as old as time?” Methinks not. “Beastly” is based on a 2007 young adult novel by Alex Flinn. It tells the story of gorgeous but arrogant teenager Kyle (Alex Pettyfer of “[...]