Due Date

With The Hangover, Todd Phillips convinced me that perhaps I should give his work a chance. That is a funny movie. And believe me, I’ll be lined up to see The Hangover Part 2. It’s this credential that led me to believe Due Date may be cut from the same cloth. It turns out that it’s not. And it’s not funny at all. In Due Date, Robert Downey Jr. plays Peter, a man with a very real anger problem. He’s boarding a plane... Read More

Trucker

Every so often there comes along a little indie film that makes attempts at gravitas that is far beyond it’s reach, but, at the very least, allows its leads to shine. Like 2003′s Monster, or 2006′s Sherrybaby.  These films themselves fail, their only saving grace being outstanding performances by Charlize Theron, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.  James Mottern’s Trucker happens to be one just like those: uneven and shallow, with fantastic... Read More

Eagle Eye

Remember, in the trailer, when Rosario Dawson’s character in Eagle Eye quips, ‘What if it’s a decoy, to distract us from something fifty times bigger?’  In the same vein, this film distracts the viewer with explosions, car chases, Shia LaBeouf’s facial hair, and computers with artificial intelligence, so we don’t notice the bigger issue: this film blows. I’m not sure it’s director D.J. Caruso’s... Read More