Green Zone

In 2003 the United States invaded Iraq, claiming contrary to reports that the country possessed weapons of mass destruction. Seven years later, American soldiers are still being deployed to the desert nation despite official acknowledgement that such weapons never existed. In Paul Greengrass’ new film Green Zone, the question of why we went to war [...]

She’s Out of My League

She’s Out of My League takes Tropic Thunder breakout Jay Baruchel and attempts to turn him into a leading man. He’s an unlikely candidate. Baruchel cuts a gangly, awkward figure in front of the camera. Though he first gained attention as the lead in Judd Apatow’s short-lived 2000 college dorm comedy series Undeclared, since then [...]

Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese knows something about surprise endings which twist meisters like M. Night Shyamalan seem to have forgotten. The twist doesn’t matter if you haven’t already told a good story. By the time Shutter Island gets to its twist, it has already told such a tale. You’re invested in these characters and no matter how [...]

The Wolfman (2010)

In some ways Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman didn’t have to do all that much to improve on its source material. The original 1941 film was a classic cheapie horror flick, full of stilted dialogue and hammy actors and, yes, a few revolutionary effects shots that are remembered to this day. But with more time to [...]

The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer is a very serious film about and for adults, and for that we should commend it– we don’t get too many of those these days. But while Roman Polanski’s film occasionally plays well with dramatic tension and right well by its skilled lead actors, more often it feels limp and overblown, a [...]

Valentine’s Day

Most romantic comedies try hard to woo us and charm us with things like engaging characters, fresh stories or perhaps actual romance. Valentine’s Day is content to rain so many A-list stars down on our heads that we’re eventually bludgeoned into submission. Long and spineless and ultimately grueling, it’s like being shown five-minute clips from [...]