Movie Mom
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This is the movie that won the movie world's highest accolade -- a sort of international Oscar -- the Cannes Film Festival's Palme D'Or. And it is the movie that columnist
Christopher Hitchens<...
Trip (Matthew McConaughey) is a 35-year-old boat broker who happily resides in an assisted living facility where he is served fresh pancakes and bacon with warmed syrup and all of his clothes are c...
It turns out that being a spy is not glamorous at all, especially when you are the mother of twins. Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) does not get to pick up a bunch of fun gadgets from Q or change from...
Less a movie than a mosaic, this remake of the 1980 classic with the Oscar-winning title anthem about the high school for the performing arts has been re-imagined for the hyper-linked and just plai...
The grand tradition of "what if?" movies from "A Christmas Carol" to "It's a Wonderful Life" and the more recent "Passions of Mind" and "Me Myself I" show us an unhappy hero or heroine who finds ou...
If you believe the previews or have seen the poster of an aggressively extended and bejeweled ring finger, then you might presume that “The Family Stone” is going to be a light-hearted romp of ...
"Fanboys" has less of a sense of humor about its subjects than they do about themselves. It is so afraid of offending the demographic that it cannot decide if it is making fun of passionate fans o...
Almost sixty years ago, the original "Fantasia" was released and hard as it may be to believe it now, the response was unenthusiastic. Today, images like Mickey as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, the li...
There are four of them, and they are fantastic. Idealistic scientist Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) has a reach that exceeds his grasp. Beautiful and brilliant Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) loves him bu...
If not exactly meriting the term "fantastic" yet, this second installment is a slight improvement over the "
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Posted on Friday June 15, 2007
Director Wes Anderson has often seemed more interested in his films' props and sets than the characters and stories. His last movie's most memorable character was a set of luggage (
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Posted on Tuesday March 23, 2010
The 1950’s was a time of peace and plenty, but it was also a time of conformity. It was especially inconvenient to be female, gay, or black. In “Far From Heaven,” characters struggle with a...
Lust. Betrayal. Revenge. Greed. Murder. Somehow, all of these things become dull in the preposterous and yet decidedly un-fascinating "Fascination," a movie that plays as though the script was bei...
How fast? How furious? Well, this fourth in the series is so zippy it doesn't even have time for "the" or "and." And how necessary? Is there any more fastness or furiousness not fully covered b...
I don’t ask for much from summer popcorn movies. Give me some car chases and explosions, some romance, and a nasty villain who meets a nastier end, and I’m happy. I had high hopes for "The Fa...
Painfully overlong at under 90 minutes, "The Ex" (formerly known as "Fast Track") is a clunky, lead-footed disaster, the stunning incompetence of its script and direction only exceeded by the shock...
Hey hey hey! Fat Albert is back.
The original Fat Albert was a friend of the young Bill Cosby, who turned his childhood adventures into a popular stand-up routine during his days as a comi...
An evil and destructive spirit named Hexxus (voice of Tim Curry) is imprisoned in a tree by Magi, the leader of the fairies, who believes that all humans have been destroyed. Many years later, as...
The only thing surprising about this completely conventional big studio date movie is that it comes from the joyfully outrageous Farrelly brothers (There's Something About Mary, Shallow Hal) and th...
Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), who grew up in New York and went to college at Berkeley, stands in the middle of his first Iowa corn crop and hears a voice say, "If you build it, he will come." He be...
Terrence Howard's performance in "Fighting" is so bizarrely strange and awful that it occurred to me he might be hoping we didn't realize it was him. Howard plays Harvey, a street hustler who disc...
You may or may not believe that gospel music saves the soul of an out of work advertising executive, but you just might believe that it saves the movie in in "The Fighting Temptations," and that mi...
More than 20 years ago, the Sex Pistols made one album, were let go by two record companies, one after only one day, and had the number one song in the UK, though it was so controversial it could n...
Not bothering with everyday movie conventions like plot, acting, or logic, this wisp of a sequel found its competitive advantage in “Final Destination” (2002) and pursued it with gleeful abando...
It’s like deja vu, says the main character, only of something I haven’t done yet.
Wow, get out of my head, Wendy! We are barely minutes into “Final Destination 3” and already we, t...
In "A.I." we had a real boy, Haley Joel Osment, playing a robot. In this movie, we have computer animated figures playing real people. This is the first computer-animated movie to "star" actors. ...
From the opening shots of the American flag fluttering gracefully from a barn in the Iowa morning mist, to the closing scenes of cheering crowds at the baseball field, The Final Season is one great...
Director Sidney Lumet revisits the themes of two of his most memorable films in this movie, but with less success. Like
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Posted on Wednesday March 15, 2006
There is nothing more appealing to watch in a movie than one character teaching another, except perhaps when two characters teach each other. This reliable formula is well presented in this fine f...
Pixar Studios may have the most advanced animation technology in the world, but they never forget what matters most in a movie: story, characters, imagination, and heart. "Finding Nemo" has it all...
“Finding Nemo” is an ideal choice for a 3D re-release. Its Pacific Ocean setting is majestic, immersive, not intrusive, in evoking the vast sweep of the water and bringing us into the world of ...
This much we know. James M. Barrie was inspired by his friendship with some fatherless boys, including one named Peter, to write one of the most enduring and beloved stories of all time, "Peter Pa...
Yes, this is a dumb little teen sex comedy that repeatedly tries to generate hilarity with a cheer involving the initials of its title. Yes, it spends a lot of camera time focusing on tight little...
Ths story about a mega-movie star dog who gets lost and finds a home with the son of a fire chief is an uncomfortable blending of three different stories that neglects the one thing we want to see ...
What can you do if you want to rob a bank and hotshot Harrison Ford has designed a foolproof security system? Well, firewalls may be unbreakable, but people are not. So, you tell him that if he d...
This one is right off the conveyer belt. It's numbingly predictable due to a screenplay straight from the "how to write a script" formula book, which may be forgiveable, but it is also thuddingly ...
When the helicopter takes you to the snowy peaks at the end of the paved road, where “backcountry” describes a style and a philosophy as oppose to a location, you know you are about to see some...
Ice Cube was once a member of the f...
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Posted on Thursday April 26, 2012
Clint Eastwood's first of two films about the WWII battle at Iwo Jima is sincere, competent, and respectful. He powerfully conveys the madness and brutality of battle and the conflicting feelings o...
Americans do love our underdog stories and this one has the ingredients. There's a David -- an engineering professor named Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear), who had a "flash of genius" and invented a ...
"No one's riding that loco thing!"
Well, of course as soon as we hear that line we know someone's going to have to ride it. And in this very fine family film, the rider will be Katy (Aliso...
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Posted on Thursday November 1, 2012
This trim little adventure saga about the survivors of a plane crash in the Mongolian desert doesn't waste any time assigning heartwarming characteristics or backstories to each member of the group...
It's always a bad sign in a thriller when the big reveal is greeted by hoots of derisive laughter, and that's what happened at this movie. It's an even worse sign when two-time Oscar winner Jodie F...
First things first -- it is better than the original, famously troubled 1994 version that sank under the weight of too many screenwriters (reportedly over 30) and too many commercial tie-ins. This...
Americans take for granted our most precious and vital resource. We assume that when we turn on the tap, the water that comes out will be perfectly safe and more than plentiful, endless. And then...
Aardman has applied the sweetly demented sensibility of the "Wallace and Gromit" claymation films to their first CGI film and it is an irresistible treasure. It has their trademark intricacy of de...
Amy, a 13-year-old girl from New Zealand (Anna Paquin), wakes up in a hospital bed after an automobile accident to see her father, Tom (Jeff Daniels), whom she barely knows. Her mother was killed i...
Has this script been in a drawer somewhere since 1942?
It sure seems like it. It's "inspired" by the absorbing true story of Americans who enlisted with the French armed forces in World Wa...
“The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara” is an intelligent documentary directed by Errol Morris and based upon an interview with Robert McNamara, who as Secretary of...
One of the most daring rescue missions of the post WWII era was the
Raid on Entebbe in 1976.
An adventure-romance-comedy about...
Director Craig Brewer doesn't so much remake 1984's
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Posted on Thursday October 13, 2011
Tyler Perry's films frustrate critics and commentators, who are bothered by the awkward mash-ups of high melodrama and low humor and by what many people think is an exaggerated and biased portra...
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Posted on Thursday May 31, 2012
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Another of my favorite Thanksgiving movies is
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Posted on Wednesday November 23, 2011
This is the time of year when ads, CDs, and DVDs marked "for your consideration" are sent out to members of the movie industry and to critics, in the hopes that those behind and in front of the cam...
It's not a good movie, bu...
Plot: It is the year 2200, and Commander Adams (Leslie Nielson) directs his spaceship to an earth-like planet called Altair-4 in search of a former earth colony, out of contact for many years. They...
"How I Met Your Mother's" Jason Segal wrote and stars in the latest from the Apatow atelier, another raunchy comedy with a tender heart, and once again the story of a childish and helpless man who ...
This year's most popular movie theme -- memory -- turns up once again, though this time what someone, um, forgot was the script.
Oh there are situations here, but I would not say that they ...
This "Formula" is missing some key ingredients – like plot, characters, and dialogue.
Here is what it does have: the undeniably cool Samuel L. Jackson (who co-produced) in a kilt, fending ...
We start out on the side of the four adopted brothers who reunite to find the people who murdered their mother, but they lose us in this over-violent and under-sincere story that strays from justic...
The biggest acting achievement in this film is four Oscar winners valiantly managing to hide their embarrassment in appearing in sheer holiday dreck. Its leads are not as successful. Reese Wither...
In what is at least the fifth filmed version of this story, a soldier ordered to war resigns his commission. He has just become engaged to a girl he adores and the concerns of a battle on the othe...
This is not a who-dun-it. It's a will-they-be-able-to-prove-it. As in the old
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Posted on Friday April 13, 2007
Many great horror movies deal with families; that is where we are all most sensitive. This uneven film exploits that vulnerability but is ultimately unsatisfying.
The film opens on a da...
Jamie Leigh Curtis and Lindsay Lohan play a mother and teenager who switch bodies in this third version of the book by Mary Rodgers.
Curtis is Tess, a compassionate therapist and a loving, if...
The predictable work and family and romantic complications ens...
I hope needless to say, this extremely violent movie is only for the hard-core fans of the genre who are old enough not to be traumatized by it. Since I do not think I can be fair to these movies,...
Here is the formula for movies about idealistic young teachers who go into bad neighborhoods:
1. Idealistic teacher goes into bad neighborhood and is aghast at poor conditions and cynicism of...
This movie’s inability to live up to its potential is nearly as epic as its misleading title. In other hands, "Freedomland" might have played a jazz-like riff of personal loss and moving vignett...
Every moment, we face a thousand seemingly inconsequential choices that can have the most profound impact on our lives and those around us. In "Frequency," a fireman gets a message from his son, 3...
This third in Ice Cube’s “Friday” series has something to offend everyone, with highly politically incorrect jokes in just about every category. On the other hand, it is better than the last ...
On the very first day of pre-season practice, Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) tells his team, the Permian High Panthers of Odessa, Texas, that he expects them to be perfect. By the end of t...
Plot: This is the story of the Birdwells, a loving Quaker family in the midst of the Civil War. Eliza (Dorothy McGuire), a devout woman, is the moral center of the family. Jess (Gary Cooper) is a t...
"Shut up, Katherine Heigl," says our heroine, as she passes by a wall of posters for another fungible romantic comedy that should be sued for deceptive advertising. Jamie (Mila Kunis) is an execu...
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Dear Readers--
Due to a planned technical upgrade taking place on Wednesday June 11th, the Beliefnet Blogs will not display any new content, and commenting will be disabled.
We aim to be back up an...
Just about everyone already knows when Justin Guarini really met Kelly Clarkson -- they were the two finalists on the wildly popular first season of "American Idol." This quickie film was rushed i...
John Travolta loves to be bad. And so he is clearly having a blast -- in both senses of the word -- in this film, playing a bald guy with an earring who likes to shoot first and think later. As ...
The animated films from Japan's Studio Ghibli are adored by many American families for their lush and intricate hand-drawn animation and imaginative story lines. But others, like me, find many of...
In this impressionistic, ros...
Somewhere on the continuum between complexity and incoherence lies the latest film from Steven Soderbergh. After big-time Hollywood critical and box office success with the glossy, classy "Erin Br...
The first "Fun with Dick and Jane" was the popular reader that millions of first graders used to sound out words like "Oh" and "Run!" Dick and Jane were perfect suburban children in an idealized w...
"Funny People" combines two very different movies. The first is a typically crass, shallow Judd Apatow production, saturated with childish sexual antics and slapstick humor. The second is a dark,...
Some movies are content to settle for the lowest common denominator, combining trashy ethnic stereotypes, bathroom humor and cheesy slapstick jokes in the hope of luring audiences for a cheap laugh...
Do You Believe in Miracles? Take some time this week to help someone else. Surprise someone with ...
10 Exercises to Stay Spiritually Fit Get spiritually fit with our 10 tips!
20 Scriptures That Bring Hope to Any Situation Need a lift? Here are 20 scriptures to make you feel better in any ...
5 Ways to Revive Your Dream! Rekindle your joy! Re-ignite your passion. Achieve your wildest ...
7 Ways to Plant Seeds of Greatness in Your Life Visit ways to plant seeds of greatness into your life. ...
20 Powerful Declarations to Fight Discouragement Speak life into your day with these 20 declarations!
5 Ways to Stay Healthy This Summer Here are five ways to remain healthy and happy during the summer!
5 Tips for Better Sleep Top sleep expert Dr. David Volpi, Founder of Eos Sleep Center has put ...
7 Top Health Issues Facing Today’s Women Here are seven top health-related issues facing today’s women and ...
Celebrities Who Won't Back Down Here are five courageous women who won’t back down when their health ...
Words of Wisdom from Dr Joyce Brothers Dr. Joyce Brothers passed away May 13, 2013 at her Fort Lee, New ...
A Conversation with Minnesota Wild Center Matt Cullen With the NHL Playoffs in full swing, Minnesota Wild center Matt ...
Yes, Gratitude Works! Having an attitude of thankfulness brings incredible, unexpected ...
10 Ways to To Handle Life Changes With Courage Here are 10 tips to help you handle the twists and turns on the road ...
The Fruits of Desire Fruits are the ultimate fast food: sweet, healthy and conveniently ...
Nurturing a Healthy Marriage For many couples, years of marriage can sadly lead them to a negative ...
10 Ways to Get Over a Hurtful Past Has someone hurt you? Use these tips to move forward.
Ten Things Every Dad Should Tell His Son Being a father has never been more difficult. It's is a tough world ...
