Bolt

A dog called Bolt has been raised (by filmmakers) to believe that he and Penny, the girl who owns him, are in constant conflict with a heinous villain and that…

The White Ribbon: Reap What You Sow

Photo: Wega Film I have a conflicted relationship with director Michael Haneke. The first film I saw was Funny Games (1997), which I found somewhat pointless. The second one was…

Saw III 

Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) kidnaps a doctor (Bahar Soomekh) and tells her that she must help her save the life of her mentor, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), who's dying of cancer.…

Beauty and the Beast: Ready for Broadway

Photo: Disney One of Disney's most popular films is dedicated to the memory of Howard Ashman. The lyricist died of AIDS the same year as Beauty and the Beast was…

Final Destination 5 

Sam Lawton (Nicholas D'Agosto) and several co-workers, including girlfriend Molly (Emma Bell), survive a disaster on a bridge only to learn that Death needs to have what he came for.…

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

In the near future, San Francisco scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) has invented a drug that is supposed to cure Alzheimer's... but its most dramatic effect is on apes in…

Close Encounters: E.T.’s First Visit

Photo: Columbia In 1964, the 16-year-old Steven Spielberg directed a science fiction film called Firelight. Clocking in at an impressive 135 minutes, the movie was made for $500 and premiered…

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 

The third part of this series is a prequel that portrays the beginning of the centuries-long war between vampires and Lycans, a special breed of werewolves. The setting looks Medieval…

Diary of a Mad Black Woman 

After cheating on and abusing her throughout their 18 years of marriage, wealthy attorney Charles McCarter (Steve Harris) finally kicks his wife (Kimberly Elise) out; her family helps her rebuild…

Hunger 

Director Steve McQueen's feature film debut is an unusually uncomfortable and tangible journey inside the Maze prison and the 1981 hunger strike that killed IRA activist Bobby Sands. There have…