James Franco (left), Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel are all playing themselves in Rogen's apocalypse comedy This Is the End.
'This Is The End': The Apocalypse Is One Hot Party
()Seth Rogen's new end-of-the-world comedy turns out to be as funny as anyone could have hoped — and maybe more clever than you might have expected. (Recommended)
It Takes A (Gay) Village In 'Call Me Kuchu' ()
June 14, 2013 An excellent documentary looks at Uganda's controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill — both its personal and political implications — through the story of activist David Kato. While emotionally crushing, the documentary is unmistakably a celebration of LGBT activists. (Recommended)
'Bling Ring': When Fame-Obsessed Teens Go Rogue()
June 14, 2013 As with many of Sofia Coppola's films, it's the quiet mundanity of The Bling Ring that really hits home. Based on a Vanity Fair article, the story follows a group of privileged but troubled teens as they rob the homes of various Hollywood A-listers.
'More Than Honey' Sees A World Without Bees ()
June 13, 2013 More Than Honey is an expansive journey of a documentary — ranging from California to China — on a topic whose implications are even more far-reaching: the rapid disappearance of bees, or "colony collapse." Filmmaker Markus Imhoof looks at our global dependence on the threatened insects.
'Steel' Trap: Snyder's Superman, Between Worlds()
June 13, 2013 Director Zack Snyder doubles down on the sci-fi DNA of America's definitive superhero, but his Man of Steel never quite becomes the inspirational saga some fans may have been expecting.
'Sound' Scares In An Homage To '70s Italian Horror()
June 14, 2013 Set in an Italian movie-sound lab circa the '70s, Peter Strickland's Berberian Sound Studio takes audiences into an unsettling world where life imitates art — and the difference between reality and nightmare becomes increasingly difficult to discern. (Recommended)
Whedon's Touch Finds A Match With 'Much Ado'()
June 14, 2013 Sandwiched into Joss Whedon's busy schedule of TV series and big-screen features was an unexpected low-budget adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing — shot in black and white. Film critic David Edelstein says it's a delight. (Recommended)
Resnais' Lively, Metatheatrical Look At Death()
June 6, 2013 Alain Resnais' latest film, You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet, is a surprisingly lighthearted — if disorienting — take on two Jean Anouilh plays, Eurydice and Dear Antoine: Or, the Love That Failed.
Covert Conflicts, Decried In 'Dirty Wars' ()
June 6, 2013 Jeremy Scahill, author of the New York Times best-seller Blackwater, contemplates what he considers the "dirty" side of America's wars. But it's what he doesn't ask — or answer — in his documentary's 90-minute narrative that's really thought-provoking.
A Yearly 'Purge' For A Society Working Out Its Issues()
June 6, 2013 Director James DeMonaco (Little New York) turns in a nail-biter featuring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. Set in an orderly future where citizens enjoy one lawless, annual 12-hour "purge," the film flops as social comment — but sure keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Rediscover Your Inner Anarchist In The Anti-Corporate 'East'()
May 31, 2013 The East is a romantic activist outlaw fantasy in which Brit Marling plays an agent who poses as a radical activist to catch an eco-terrorist group. It's one of those melodramas in which someone on the morally wrong side has a spasm of conscience and maybe crosses over. Maybe.
'Now You See Me': An Unconvincing Con Job()
May 30, 2013 A new gang caper film — populated by the likes of Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo and Michael Caine — makes promises it can't deliver. An FBI agent and and Interpol detective chase thieving magicians called the Four Horsemen, but a portentous tone and redundancy outweigh the action and flash.
Teenage 'Kings Of Summer' Rule A Predictable Sitcom World()
May 30, 2013 In a TV director's film debut, jokes overwhelm the characters and plot. Though the cast includes such likable personalities as Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, the runaway boys at the film's core subsist on rotisserie chicken, telegraphed situations and sour gags.
The Political Becomes Personal In 'Shadow Dancer'()
May 30, 2013 The Oscar-winning director of the documentary Man on Wire crafts an intimate drama about the conflict in Northern Ireland. Through tight closeups, brilliant performances and careful pacing, a national crisis plays out in individual terms. (Recommended)
Anarchists Tempt A 1 Percenter In 'The East'()
May 30, 2013 In this slightly batty new thriller, rising star Brit Marling plays a former FBI agent infiltrating an anarchist group. Will she give up her corporate ways? Will the eco-terrorists be able to eat their vegan meals while straitjacketed? Watch and see.
About Movie Reviews
Opinions on current offerings at the cinema from a slate of reviewers, including Fresh Air contributor David Edelstein, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Bob Mondello.
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