Taken3…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

I did wonder if it mattered that I had not seen Taken or Taken2. But since it’s an action thriller, I decided Taken3 can be viewed as on its own merits. Read more

Penguins of Madagascar…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Taking a small child to the movies is about so much more than just what’s on the screen; it’s an outing, and the movie can easily end up the least of it. Read more

The Imitation Game…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

In an ideal world you would come fresh to this knowing little about the British code breakers of World War II as it is a fascinating piece of history. Read more

Exodus, Gods and Kings…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Do we really need yet another swords and sandals cutlery saga? Why rehash ancient history? What could we expect from Director Ridley Scott? Read more

Folies Bergere…a film review by Roz Tarszisz

Judging by the recent spate of mature-age romances, coming of age stories are a trifle old hat. From writer and director Marc Fitoussi, this is a delightful coming of second age (or possibly third) tale. Read more

Self Made…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

A modern fairytale with deep political messages, Self Made demands that the viewer suspend critical analysis and tag along for the ride. Read more

Next to Her…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Chelli (Liron Ben-Shlush), an attractive young woman, is a school security guard in Haifa. Read more

The Selfish Giant…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Grim and gritty does work well in the North of England. Read more

Still Life…a movie review by Roz Tarszisz

Funerals are meant for the living. Still Life opens intriguingly with the same solitary figure at a series of burial services. Read more

Venus in Fur…a film review by Roz Tarszisz

Venus in Fur – a play within a play. Based on David Ives’ Tony Award winning play “Venus in Fur”, this two hander directed by Roman Polanksi opens innocuously enough in a small rundown theatre in Paris.

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Olympus has fallen 3/4 – a film review by James Berardinelli

There’s irony to be found in the recognition that the best Die Hard to be released in 2013 isn’t the franchise’s official entry, A Good Day to Die Hard, but the White House-based copycat, Olympus Has Fallen. Read more

Warm Bodies 2½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

As if it wasn’t bad enough that Twilight defanged vampires, turning them into whiny emo Harlequin romance heroes, now Warm Bodies has done something similar for zombies. Read more

Hyde Park on Hudson 2½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Hyde Park on Hudson represents the odd marriage of an uninteresting, borderline-creepy “romance” and a peek behind the scenes of a notable but unsung historical event. 2012 has seen dramatizations of eras from the administrations of two of America’s greatest leaders. Read more

Rust and Bone 3/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

When Rust and Bone tells a story of a woman’s recovery from a devastating injury, it hits all the right notes, traveling a path that is poignant without being mawkish and triumphant without being saccharine. Read more

Broken City **/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Broken City? More appropriately, Broken Movie. Read more

Side Effects ***/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

There’s something delightfully old-fashioned about Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects. Read more

The Paper Boy **½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Whatever else it may be cited for, The Paperboy, Lee Daniels’ follow-up to Precious, is not going be called “the feel-good movie of 2012.” Read more

Cloud Atlas ***/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Based on a perusal of reviews for Cloud Atlas, one might be convinced that the sprawling, ambitious, epic adaptation of David Mitchell’s 2004 novel is either a masterpiece or an unmitigated disaster. Read more

The Last Stand **½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Old action heroes don’t die or fade away; they just keep going. Read more

Amour ***½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Films can be tremendous vehicles for escapism – paths to freeing oneself from worldly concerns and considerations. They can also be a means of getting in touch with essential elements of humanity such as love, sacrifice, and mortality. Read more

Beautiful Creatures **½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Beautiful Creatures is the latest attempt by a Hollywood studio to cash in on the popularity of a YA (Young Adult) series. In this case, instead of vampires and werewolves, it’s witches and warlocks. Read more

Safe Haven **/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

It’s pointless criticizing a Nicholas Sparks movie for being a Nicholas Sparks movie. Sparks, like Barbara Cartland before him, delivers exactly what his fans want: romance between two attractive people. Read more

Anna Karenina ***/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Like Frankenstein and Hamlet, Anna Karenina is a literary touchstone that filmmakers return to on a regular basis. Read more

Lincoln ***½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

One of the many, many smart decisions made by director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner when developing Lincoln was not to make it a traditional bio-pic of the 16th U.S. president. Read more

Silver Linings Playbook ***½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Silver Linings Playbook is a quirky adult romantic comedy that goes beyond the standard rhythms of the genre. Read more

Zero Dark Thirty ***½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Zero Dark Thirty is a compelling contemporary thriller with the added benefit of also being an engrossing character study. Read more

Flight ***½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Flight is about addiction. In particular, it’s about the long spiral that comes between the period when a person begins imbibing too much and when he acknowledges that he no longer has control and needs help. Read more

Compliance ***½/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

Most of the time, I am irritated when a movie proclaims to be “based on a true story”…writes James Berardinelli. Read more

This is 40 ***/4 – a movie review by James Berardinelli

This is 40 has the feel of one of those French “family comedies” – sort of like the kind of thing brought to the screen by Cedric Klapisch, except with more profanity and vulgarity…writes James Berardinelli. Read more

Hitchcock 3/4 : a film review by James Berardinelli

Hitchcock could be construed as a misleading title for this motion picture. A better name might have been The Making of Psycho, although that might have led to confusion with a DVD supplemental feature…writes James Berardinelli. Read more

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