I have been a movie fan for most of my life and a film critic since 1986 (my first published review was for "Platoon"). Since that time I have written for several news and entertainment publications in California, Utah and Idaho. Big fan of the Academy Awards - but wish it would go back to the five-minute dinner it was in May, 1929. A former member of the San Diego Film Critics Society and current co-host of "The Movie Guys," each Sunday afternoon on KOGO AM 600 in San Diego with Kevin Finnerty.
I’ll cut to the chase in my description of Playing for Keeps right away. It’s simply “Kicking & Screaming” with sex — and without Will Ferrell (if the two are mutually exclusive). It also proves that if you are Gerard Butler and arrive in town to coach a child’s soccer team, several deranged women will…
Dreamworks, which scored last year with “Kung Fu Panda 2” and earlier in 2012 with “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” brings another ambitious animated film to the screen with the telling of William Joyce’s book, Rise of the Guardians. And while not as colorful or giddy as the above-mentioned pictures, this combination of “The Polar…
With a mix of “Alien,” “Toy Story” and a bit of originality, Walt Disney Studios has created a wonderfully fun and nostalgic effort sure to put a smile on the faces of young and old, alike. And while a bit long in the tooth for an animated film (108 minutes), Wreck-It Ralph nevertheless is one…
To be blunt and to the point, the best surfing film is “The Endless Summer,” maybe followed by “Big Wednesday.” The heart-tugging “Soul Surfer” may also be your cup of tea, as well. Unfortunately, Chasing Mavericks is not among the genre’s Top 10 (if there is even enough to even MAKE a Top 10). In…
Not to personalize my critique too much, but the most frightening moment about Paranormal Activity 4 was when I tripped on a buffer cord coming out of the theater. The pain and embarrassment of my clumsiness, however, was nowhere near the agony I felt while watching what I hope will be the final installment of…
Disney Studio’s effort to create a benign supernatural tale — with more than a passing nod to “Forrest Gump” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” — about a young boy who magically appears from a garden, at first seemed a bit ludicrous. Upon viewing The Odd Life of Timothy Green, however, reveals it is…
A Republican getting positive treatment in a modern Hollywood film? This IS a trip to Fantasy Land, or “Rainbow Land” to quote from The Campaign, the newest comedy starring Will Ferrell, who, along with Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover,” “The Hangover Part II“), attempt to parody the current political season with somewhat successful results. Actually though,…
