http://www.theparallaxreview.com/ en Copyright 2011 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:09:48 -0600 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/movie_defender/death_to_smoochy.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/movie_defender/death_to_smoochy.html Movie Defender Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:09:48 -0600 two feces jokes, an embarrassing masturbation scene, multiple men obsessed with a beautiful blonde, and grown men acting like twelve-year-old morons).]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/hall_pass.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/hall_pass.html In Theatres Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:00:00 -0600 Powder is a mess of a film. But it wouldn’t be such a mess if there weren’t some interesting ideas and promising plot developments buried beneath a ton of pretentious metaphysical conceits and obvious manipulations on the part of writer/director Victor Salva.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/powder.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/powder.html On Cable Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Scary Movie franchise had already poached numerous times over. But critics bashed its straight-faced approach to comedy and audiences stayed away in droves, turned off by bad word-of-mouth that the film was just as much a horror film as it was a comedy.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/movie_defender/broken_lizards_club_dread.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/movie_defender/broken_lizards_club_dread.html Columns Movie Defender Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Darkman, it seems that every time I look up at the screen, there’s Neeson, doing good work in films that often aren’t worthy of his talents. Such is the case with Unknown, an otherwise soggy conspiracy thriller that Neeson practically horsewhips into watchability.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/unknown.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/unknown.html In Theatres Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:00:00 -0600 I Am Number Four turned out. This could have been a dispiriting failure along the lines of The Vampire’s Assistant — a film that felt like one long first act setting up all the fun for films down the road. But Caruso is able to make John just an interesting enough protagonist and capitalize on a great performance by Olyphant, that I was willing to sit through the explanations and plot setups until the overblown, but rousing third act finally rewarded my patience.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/i_am_number_four.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/i_am_number_four.html In Theatres Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:00:00 -0600 Funny Farm boasts a surprisingly impressive pedigree for a light Chevy Chase comedy. It was directed by George Roy Hill, a man who delivered two certifiable masterpieces in The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid among other very good films (Slap Shot, Slaughterhouse-Five). It boasts a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, ace screenwriter of such films as The Dead Zone, Innerspace, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Lethal Weapon 2. With this collection of unusually talented people behind the scenes, it’s not terribly surprising that the film turned out as well as it did. That praise isn’t to confuse it as a great film, but it’s an enjoyable comedy with a few big laughs.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/funny_farm.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/funny_farm.html On Cable Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:03 -0600 Mystic River. It struck me as a stunning misfire from a usually reliable director with a good cast overacting like they were in a high school production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Even worse, Eastwood showcased bizarre flourishes and an over-the-top score, which he helped compose, that only further pushed the film into overbearing territory.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/the_academy_of_the_overrated/mystic_river.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/the_academy_of_the_overrated/mystic_river.html Columns The Academy of the Overrated Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Dirty Harry-esque scenario would be nothing more than Paul Kersey from the Death Wish films with a badge. But 10 to Midnight defies expectations, delivering a solid procedural with surprising twists and grounded, believable characters.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/cannon_corner/10_to_midnight.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/cannon_corner/10_to_midnight.html Cannon Corner Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/the_eagle.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/the_eagle.html In Theatres Sat, 12 Feb 2011 18:00:00 -0600 http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/dvd_insanity/robogeisha.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/columns/dvd_insanity/robogeisha.html Columns DVD Insanity Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Saturday Night Live heyday, there’s something slightly distasteful about Opportunity Knocks. This lack of taste has nothing to do with Carvey, but with using his talents for mimicry and improvisation to tell a story about a con man seeking to rip off a wealthy Chicago businessman by getting his daughter to fall in love with him. Comedies about con artists work best when the person being conned is someone who deserves to be ripped off (The Sting). Here, I just found the premise so off-putting, it was hard to appreciate the minimal amount of actual comedic entertainment on display.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/opportunity_knocks.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/opportunity_knocks.html On Cable Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 The Illusionist is the type of movie that sneaks up on you. I spent most of my time watching the film in a sort of pleasant trance. I marveled at the beautiful, hand-drawn animation. I smiled and chuckled quietly at a running gag about the titular character and his surly rabbit that hates being stuffed into a hat. I drank in the attention to character design that made it possible to tell the story with incredibly sparse dialogue. And then the film hammered me with such a bittersweet — and ultimately sad — third act that I was stunned when I realized how emotionally invested I had become in the slight story and eccentric characters.]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/the_illusionist.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/the_illusionist.html In Theatres Wed, 09 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/sanctum.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/in_theatres/sanctum.html In Theatres Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:00:00 -0600 Blind Fury? ]]> http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/blind_fury.html http://www.theparallaxreview.com/on_cable/blind_fury.html On Cable Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600