Movie Review: ‘Uppercut’ With Ving Rhames
There have been scores of boxing movies throughout the history of cinema, and they all largely follow the same formula: the dream, the training and the big fight. Thorsten Reuther’s…
Film Review: Kevin James in ‘Guns Up’
It’s a long Segway ride from Paul Blart, Mall Cop to the deadly ex-cop Kevin James plays in the new film “Guns Up.” In it, he’s left his police career…
Film Review: Long Movie for Short Ride
The rules of Professional Bull Riding, I have recently learned, involve staying on a bull for eight seconds, while holding on with one hand. Creating a feature film about an…
Film Review: ‘The Zebra and The Bear’
“The Zebra and the Bear” sounds like a nature film, but in this case the zebra represents someone with a rare disease and the bear is the protective mama who…
Film Review: ‘The King of Kings,’ Cartoon Jesus
About the time he was creating the crowd-pleasing “David Copperfield,” Charles Dickens was writing a book meant for a much smaller audience — his children. “The Life of Our Lord,”…
The Vigilante Movie Returns: ‘Shooting Heroin’
The vigilante film was at its heights as a genre a half century ago with ugly crowd-pleasers like the Charles Bronson franchise “Death Wish.” But it can be traced back…
Movie Review: ‘Saint Nick of Bethlehem’
It’s been more than a month since Christmas, but they were sending around an indie film called “Saint Nick of Bethlehem” for reviews. Maybe because it would have been lost…
Movie Review: ‘King Saud,’ Worst of Year?
Writing at the end of the year, I can safely say I won’t see a worse film this year than “King Saud,” a clumsy, blood-soaked stumble through world problems through…
A Movie Selling a Series: ‘Homestead’
A nuclear bomb hitting Los Angeles at the outset of the film “Homestead” seems its most minor concern. Mostly, it’s a pretext for finally getting to use those go-bags that…
Film Review: Low Budget, Lowbrow ‘Con Job’
Former health care software developer Ian Niles began his film career in such teeny roles as “Repeat Offender,” “First Officer” and “Guy.” Lately, he’s been developing his own string of…