A rebellious science student joins forces with a reluctant inventor to decipher the mysteries of the futuristic Tomorrowland. Somewhere in the fabric of space and time, there exists a fantastical place called Tomorrowland. It exists in a dimension unknown by nearly everyone on Earth except for the very few invited to visit. Recruiters from this […]
A talented artificial intelligence expert is called on to evaluate his boss’s latest evolutionary achievement in the riveting sci-fi drama Ex Machina. The promise of advanced artificial intelligence serves as the centerpiece of countless Hollywood films. 1927’s Metropolis captivated audiences with its cautionary tale of a dystopian future ruled by smart machines. Our own tech […]
A discredited former New York Times journalist finds that a potential killer adopted his identity in True Story. That certainly sounds like a recipe for a potentially thrilling drama. The film even starts us off with a highly engaging, deeply disturbing opening sequence. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from there. This is a big-fish story that […]
Sex is a dangerous activity in horror movies. From the earliest black-and-white films in which vampires seduce women to the later slasher flicks in which the killer spies on couples, people tend to drop their guard when engaged in sex and then have to deal with the consequences. Had two young camp counselors been doing […]
A corporate mercenary has to deal with heavy consequences after a high-profile hit sends him into exile in The Gunman. Terrier (Sean Penn) works as a covert security operative for a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). In more direct terms, he’s a corporate hit man working for a group of international mining companies in the Congo. When […]
A recently-separated teacher becomes the obsession of her 19-year-old neighbor in The Boy Next Door. Life for Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) would seem nearly ideal for most people. She lives in a large, beautiful, upper-middle-class house with her teenage son, Kevin (Ian Nelson), surrounded by all of the essential trappings. The house is filled with […]
A renowned hacker is freed from federal prison to help track down a cybercriminal in Blackhat. Cybercriminals seem to always be one step ahead of technology. They have a knack for cracking any system regardless of how secure it might seem. Their latest successful attack includes hacking a Chinese nuclear power plant and the Chicago […]
After their son is killed in action, his recovering parents welcome one of his team into their home in The Guest. The Peterson family is enduring a tragedy that few of us can begin to truly comprehend and none of us want to experience. Caleb Peterson was killed during a combat mission in Afghanistan. His parents, Laura […]
A determined reporter for a small-time paper uncovers a shocking government conspiracy that threatens his very existence in Kill the Messenger. While investigating the curious case of a major drug dealer who’s seemingly impervious to prosecution, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner) discovers a CIA connection that leads him ever deeper down a dark, disturbing rabbit hole. […]
When I was a boy, I had a statue of the Virgin Mary in my bedroom as placed there by my mother. It’s a Catholic thing, I guess. The light above my bed cast some pretty creepy shadows in the room, and if I looked at this statue just the right way, I thought that […]
A mild-mannered husband copes with his wife’s disappearance and police who are increasingly skeptical of his innocence in Gone Girl. Beloved children’s book author Amy Elliot (Rosamund Pike) could have anyone. She’s bright, beautiful, wealthy and cultured. Into her life comes an unassuming, soft-spoken, but disarmingly suave man named Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck). His puppy dog-like adorableness and […]
Liam Neeson has evolved into one of the most reliable tough guys in motion pictures. His career certainly didn’t start out that way with most of his memorable work taking place in dramas like Rob Roy and Schindler’s List. He convinced me that he could be a badass when he lengthened both his hair and […]