Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Liam Neeson is the star player on a team (Taken 2) that was able to maintain its core players (cast and writers). But then there’s one giant change: A new coach (director Olivier Megaton). And the chemistry and game-plan just never comes together as it once did in 2009. Fortunately, an old veteran coach by the name of Tim Burton, was able to salvage the weekend by going back to what propelled him onto the main stage years ago. Plus, a  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. With just three months left in 2012, the onslaught of holiday/award season flicks are about to hit all of us in the coming weeks. And in preparation for this, yours truly gave this list a thorough vetting to make sure everything is where it needs to be so to speak (i.e. Why did I rank Resident Evil 5 so high initially? Is Wanderlust and Battleship still the worst these green eyes have seen?, etc., etc.). Obviously, this past Friday’s releases (Looper,  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. This past week of releases would almost lead one to believe it was amateur hour. And that’s with an assortment of accomplished talent populating these new flicks. End of Watch had the players but the coaching (director) severely held them back. Trouble with the Curve executed a dated and uninspired game-plan. Dredd 3D knew who it was, but ended up getting predictable and forced the issue at times. And House at the End of the Street is now at the house  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. The Master is very similar to the Miami Heat basketball team: It has three superstars (Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson) dialed in and putting on quite a performance. Problem is, everything around them is being executed in sub-par fashion. And then there’s The Queen of Versailles: It has some flashy moves but fizzled-out due to the lack of substance and heart. Also joining the party was a veteran roster in Resident Evil: Retribution, and the high-brow  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Look, the coach (me) evaluated a lot of players (7 to be exact) since last week’s rankings. So let’s drop the usual metaphoric sports-opening and just get right to where The Words, For a Good Time Call…, Side by Side, The Tall Man and a few choice indie horror flicks landed. Savvy? The new releases for the respective week will have a capsule review at the end of the column. An updated list comes out every Monday. Here’s how things are  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. While the 2012 summer movie season ended with, “Meh,” overall, it ended up being a decent jaunt. Mainly because the non-blockbusters picked up the slack, as evident by some of the players that occupy spots in the top 35 of the below rankings. Closing out the studio’s cash-cow frame was a gritty gangster posing as a wannabe western in Lawless, along with another exorcism horror product, The Possession, which provided a sliver of hope for the genre. The new releases for  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Everyone who tried to impress the coaching staff (me) this week showed some audacious moves, respectively. Premium Rush, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Hit and Run, and even The Apparition, all had something unique about them. Issue that arose though, only one of them really knew how to execute their clever style of play. Also, The Dark Knight Rises was given another shot to dethrone the long reigning Chronicle as the best of 2012. The new releases for the respective week will  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Six new players from last week all found spots on every part of the bench (list). Some, such as ParaNorman, got to sit right next to the coach because of their stellar play. Others, like the overrated Why Stop Now, found their way toward the end of the pine, specifically, sitting on the floor with a towel. And then there’s the unknowns in Robot & Frank, who hustle with their limited talent and impress the coaching staff. Everyone gets a shot,  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. The Bourne Legacy may have the pedigree, but the new recruits – in-front and behind the lens – just didn’t click on the court. Meanwhile, a pair of elite players elevate The Campaign and Hope Springs and two prodigies provided a spark for Ruby (see what I did there). The new releases for the respective week will have a capsule review at the end of the column. An updated list comes out every Monday. Here’s how things are shaking up so  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Performing at a satisfactory level in the arena of cinema these days is not an easy task. And third installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise proves that notion. This team (filmmakers involved) really had an off-game; as in terrible. Meanwhile, a product that truly didn’t need to be on the court so to speak, actually should some grit and performed admirably. The new releases for the respective week will have a capsule review at the end of the  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Talk about players that didn’t apply themselves. Granted, Step Up Revolution showed some hustle, but The Watch barely went through the motions and [Rec]3 basically sold-out and forgot what brought the franchise to greatness. An argument can be made that these borderline bottom-feeders never should have step foot on the big stage. The new releases for the respective week will have a capsule review at the end of the column. An updated list comes out every Monday. Here’s how things are  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Seeing the performance The Dark Knight Rises enacted, it really put filmmaking in perspective. So much so, that the top 5 was given a decent shuffle. And as the fans read this, know that yours truly considers both TDKR and Chronicle in an ongoing battle for the coveted top spot despite how they’re listed below. Loyal followers of this weekly ranking column should take note that Moonrise Kingdom and Marvel’s The Avengers swapped spots. Also joining the show was HBO Films’  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Katy Perry is already crossover star (music & movies). And when those talents come together, they end up giving a competitive effort that you can’t help to admire. Meanwhile, the wily veteran coach by the name Oliver Stone, appears to have over-prepped his latest game-plan. Also getting some playing time is an international horror favorite, whose raw game is slowly started to be noticed stateside. The new releases for the respective week will have a capsule review at the end of  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. As moviegoers prepare for what looks to be an exciting second-half of 2012 cinema, the rankings below show that no matter where a respective film has been released (whether in the dumping ground of February or during the prime slot of May), it’s a real crap-shoot on who is bringing their A-game. And let’s just say, the majority of films thus far have been only bringing their C-game…including, The Amazing Spider-Man – which officially opens up the second-half this week. The  [ Read More ]

Everyone waits until the year is over to compile their “Best of whatever” movie lists. This has become a mundane practice. Time for a bit of a change, kids. Aside from the typical teams (Brave, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) showing up to play this weekend, a couple foreign products in Livid and Extraterrestrial also display their skills, or lack thereof. But the true standout performance came from the mind of an unorthodox coach by the name of Wes Anderson. The new releases for the respective week will have a capsule review at the end of the column. An updated list comes  [ Read More ]