Reviews

  A revenge thriller that has pretensions to be more than it is — a pulp police procedural that borrows from “Silence of the Lambs” and “Taken” but without those

  The sixth installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise continues the thread established in “Fast Five” with an emphasis on heists, capers and international crime — but without sacrificing

  “Despicable Me 2” continues the saga of the world’s most lovable villain, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), and his wildly crazy sidekicks, the Minions. This time around the newly

  Dance film follows a legendary break-dancing crew’s return to its roots in order to reclaim the world championship after more than a decade of defeat. The Battle of the

  This sequel to 2010’s surprise hit “Red,” which chronicled the antics of a group of former black-ops agents who were marked for assassination by a new breed of much-younger

“Getaway” is the bastard child of every car chase/car crash film ever made. There’s virtually little story line and very little acting — but oh, my, are there ever crashes

  Billed as a “searing indictment of Hollywood culture” and a “sexually-charged tour through the dark side of human nature,” this boring film is actually the swan song of auteur

  If you’re familiar with the work of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz”), you can jump right in and enjoy “The World’s

  “We’re the Millers” takes an interesting idea and ruins it: David Burke (former “Saturday Night Live” star Jason Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer who runs afoul of his

  Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star in this lackluster action-thriller about a pair of undercover agents — DEA agent Bobby Trench and U.S. naval intelligence officer Marcus Stigman, respectively

  This run-of-the-mill and clichéd thriller takes place in the high-stakes, high-tech world of industrial spying — but you don’t need a smartphone to communicate how lame it is. When

  Billed as a reverse teen coming-of-age comedy — with a high-school girl trying to lose her virginity — this raunchy sex-fest falls at the bottom of this week’s “to-watch”

  Director Noah Baumbach has a knack for taking the mundane detritus of everyday life and weaving it into fascinating cinematic journeys, beginning with the all-too-talky “Kicking and Screaming” (1995)

  Every once in awhile a high concept idea bubbles up in Hollywood that’s so good that, in the same year — sometimes only a few months apart — two

  “Girl Most Likely” is a pretty dull outing for talented actress Kristen Wiig, who’s been trying to step out from her supporting roles as everyman’s wife and girlfriend and

  Who would have thought that a movie about a porn star — a movie about sex, drugs and the adult film industry — would be boring. Well, that’s just

  Adam Sandler keeps making the same junky films over and over again — and keeps making tons of money. “Grown Ups 2” is no exception. Here we have the

  I really wanted to like “R.I.P.D.” It had gotten such bad buzz before it opened, and then such a lukewarm reception by the critics, that I wanted to give

  Ever since the release of “Toy Story” (1995), the folks over at Pixar have striven to equal (or surpass) the breathtaking excitement of that ground-breaking film. Although they’ve rarely

  It’s been 18 years since director Richard Linklater teamed with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy for “Before Sunrise” (1995), a romantic drama about two strangers, American tourist Jesse and

  Ready for good, old-fashioned scares and frights — sans torture, gore and porn? Then “The Conjuring” is for you. Here’s a horror film that relies on editing and story

  Director Nicolas Winding Refn’s much-anticipated follow-up to 2011’s “Drive” wasn’t what most people expected: Yes it was dark, as was “Drive,” but it was way more sleazier, dirtier and

  Some movies are an embarrassment of riches. Some movies are just an embarrassment. This one falls under the latter category. This comedy — about a pair of old-fashioned, outmoded

  Guillermo del Toro has come a long way since “Mimic” (1997) and “The Devil’s Backbone” (2001). His horror instinct led him to direct “Hellboy” (2004) and the award-winning “Pan’s

  Even in this enlightened era, female buddy movies are far and few in between — so it’s a pleasure to have two top comediennes join forces to tear up

  “Europa Report” is one of the new breed of thrillers (using any combination of “documentary” story-telling, video camera footage, talking heads and real-time action) that has brought us “The

  Speaking of vanity projects, here’s one that works: director Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” a delightful Shakespearean romp gussied up in 21st century garb and surroundings with 21st

  In “After Earth,” Jaden Smith stars as Kitai Raige, the failed cadet son of the zen-like general of the United Ranger Corps (Will Smith in a god-like role as

  For “The Hangover Part III,” director Todd Phillips and stars Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Ken Jeong reunited for a little “hair of the dog”