NYC Film Critic

The Karate Kid
Directed by Harold Zwart
Screenplay by Christopher Murphey
Starring Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson
**

Released in the summer of 1984, The Karate Kid remains a convincing and well-crafted coming-of-age story, a genre that’s often runs the risk of succumbing to contrivance and corn.

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The ’80s action-adventure show heads to the big screen courtesy of co-writer/director Joe Carnahan and I pity the fool who forks over good money to see it.  Read my review over at Film Journal.

Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl make an excellent case for divorce as a mismatched married couple in the resoundingly unfunny action comedy Killers.  Read my review at Film Journal.

Whiz Kids
Directed by Tom Shepard
Co-Director: Tina DiFeliciantonio
Written and Edited by Jane C. Wagner
***

Growing up, I was never what you’d call a science whiz.  I was interested in the subject sure, but didn’t have a real aptitude for it.  In high school, biology and chemistry class were the twin banes of my existence and I never bothered to try my hand at senior-year physics.  The pattern repeated itself in college, where I made sure to find the least intensive science courses possible to fulfill those credit requirements.  (In my freshman year, I did take a chance and enrolled in a cosmology course only to drop it after barely being able to answer a single question on the first exam.)  Even though science isn’t my field, I’ve always had an admiration for the folks that do find pleasure and passion in it, because those are the people who are really going to be changing the world while the rest of us enjoy the benefits of their accomplishments.

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Remember Marmaduke?  You know, the comic strip about the clumsy Great Dane that’s always causing trouble?  Doesn’t ring a bell?  Well, then I guess there’s no need for you to see the movie then, huh?  Good choice!  If you still need more convincing, read my review over at Film Journal.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall veterans Russell Brand, Nicholas Stoller, Judd Apatow and Jonah Hill reunite for a kinda, sorta sequel that’s more of a road trip than a rom-com.  My mostly favorable review is up at Film Journal.

Colin Farrell continues his career renaissance with a fine star turn in Neil Jordan’s small-scale Irish fairy tale.  Read my review over at Film Journal.

кухни

Sex and the City 2
Written and Directed by Michael Patrick King
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis and Cynthia Nixon
**

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Directed by Mike Newell
Screenplay by Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Artertron, Sir Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
*1/2

At first glance, this weekend’s two major studio releases would appear to have little in common beyond the fact that they each take place in the Middle Eastern desert.  When you watch them back-to-back as I did though, it’s clear that they share more than a setting; both Sex and the City 2 and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time are this summer’s prime examples of blockbuster moviemaking at its most creatively bankrupt, big-budget behemoths that prize fantasy excess above all else, including a well-told story, compelling characters and recognizable human emotions and behavior.

Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies
Directed by Arne Glimcher
***

Film has been the dominant form of mass art and entertainment for so long it’s difficult for contemporary audiences to conceive of a time when the very idea of “moving pictures” seemed incredible.

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I expect most of the reviews of Alejandro Amenabar’s Agora to be mixed to negative and while the movie does have a number of problems, I liked it anyway–primarily for the ideas it attempts to tackle rather than its often clumsy execution.  If you have any interest in the ancient world or the origins of Western religion, it’s a must-see.  Read my review at Film Journal.