Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, has taken plenty of flak for allegedly borrowing this idea from Takami’s book. It seemed evident the moment that The Hunger Games became the Next New Thing. But who cares, really? If she claims to have had the idea all on her own, is it really that implausible?

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Tim Roth in Little Odessa (1994-R) This was James Gray’s first foray into the world of Russian organized crime. Less commercial and more personal than We Own the Night, Little Odessa is more about relationships than underworld mayhem. It’s a bleak and troubling character study built around a young Russian-Jewish hit man, the younger brother [...]

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The makers of Casa de Mi Padre have meticulously assembled the elements of a crummy telenovela, including blatant product placement, stilted dialogue, poor continuity, back-projected driving scenes, illogical character shifts, mannequin extras, animal puppets, and shoddy sets sandwiched between stock footage of sunny Mexican valleys.

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What makes Jeff intriguing is that he’s not a happy character. While you’d expect a character like him to be whimsical, pleasant, or goofy, Jeff isn’t. He’s not charming, lovable, or even physically appealing, and Segel imbues him with a genuine sadness and desperation that makes him fascinating.

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At Close Range bombed when it came out in the spring of 1986. Despite a stellar cast (which looks even better in hindsight), a No. 1 hit song by Madonna on its soundtrack and a taut, gritty story, it garnered less than $2.5 million in box-office receipts. Maybe the story was too taut and gritty. This is a downcast look at blue-collar crime and teenage tedium. It’s punctuated by a nasty rape scene and an attempted filicide.

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As far as Silent House goes in the remake department, those responsible have managed to pull the original film apart gently, sand off some rough corners, grease a few rusty plot twists, and present the humble horror tale in a more palatable form. Writer and co-director Laura Lau apparently realized that while La Casa Muda had several important scares worth preserving, the audience might appreciate a little more to digest.

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And the budget? Oh, it ballooned. The movie’s credits include so many visual effects and art department crew members your eyes will cross. The end result, unfortunately, is about two hundred million dollars worth of mediocre. Burroughs’s books were pulpy, light, implausible science fiction, and the movie feels the same despite its ostensible scale.

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He’s a hit man with a sense of honor, working for a crime family that doesn’t have one anymore. He lives in a shack on a roof next to a pigeon coop. His best friend is a Haitian who sells ice cream in the park and only speaks French, a language Ghost Dog doesn’t understand.

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The smooth contours of the prevailing animation style sap so much from the jagged, surreal landscapes of Seuss’s imagination that it would barely be recognizable if not for the distinctive scruff of the Truffula trees. In addition, the script’s occasional throwaway quotes from the original rhyming narrative do nothing to cover the script’s complete lack of wit and heart. Either write the script at least ninety percent in Seuss verse — for crying out loud, it’s already written for you! — or just forget it.

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Project X is a preposterous, implausible celebration of excess that contributes nothing to cinema or filmmaking. More importantly, though, it is incredibly awesome and an opportunity to vicariously participate in the greatest party of all time. Though the movie’s simplicity makes The Hangover look like The Usual Suspects, Project X is probably the most fun you’ll ever have without getting thrown in jail.

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Mack realizes that leaving the mob speakeasy might not be the healthiest career move. But Lewis is undaunted. In his first verbal confrontation with the owner of the speakeasy he says, “This is America. I’ve got a right to work anywhere I want.” To which the mobbed-up club owner replies, “What you got is a right to be buried anywhere you want.”

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The movie is meant to be just a ridiculous comedy, but it actually points to many issues that people face every day. George and Linda want to live a certain life in New York because that’s how their friends live. Their willingness to ignore the tenuous financial position in which they will place themselves to attain that lifestyle barely registers in their thoughts.

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Here we are again! It’s the time of year when the film world goes a little bonkers. It’s time to watch A-listers congratulate themselves on, well, themselves, and watch B-listers and unknowns crawl out of the woodwork to give the shimmering egos of Hollywood a run for their money. It’s time for the 84th Annual [...]

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The pacing is energizing and the dialogue at times is superb, even when it has little to do with the storyline. This is, in many ways, a cartoon. And it works best when viewed on that level.

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With the recent death of Whitney Houston, it’s only a matter of time before we hear rumors about pre-pre-production of a biopic about her life that will never come out. The musical biopic is an ever-present and often popular genre in film, even if many of them reek of template. This week, Dan Fields, Matthew [...]

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