The latest film to bear the moniker “starring Kevin Costner” above its title is the new dramatic thriller Let Him Go. While the film defies a specific categorization in any single genre, it miraculously escapes the fate of trying to be too many things at one time and is simply a splendidly told tale featuring a plethora of remarkably talented actors. When we first meet the Blackledges, they are in...[Read More]
Following the loss of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (Costner) and his wife Margaret (Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid in the Dakotas, headed by matriarch Blanche Weboy. When they discover the Weboys have no intention of letting the child go, George and Margaret are left with no choice but to fi...[Read More]
Black or White is the story of a grandfather, Elliott Anderson (Kevin Costner), who is suddenly left to care for his granddaughter, Eloise (Jillian Estell), by himself. But, when her paternal grandmother, Rowena Jeffers (Octavia Spencer), seeks custody with the help of her lawyer brother (Anthony Mackie), poor Eloise is caught between two families. With the best intentions, both families fight for...[Read More]
Draft Day opens in the month prior to the actual 2014 NFL draft. So, Hollywood gets an “A” for timing the release just right. Fans of the NFL are primed for just this sort of film since the pre-season games of August still feel so impossibly far away after a long, cold winter. Regrettably, this is an uneven film that will only satisfy the hard-core NFL fan. Draft Day was directed by Iv...[Read More]
The new film 3 Days to Kill is an original story created by Luc Besson and directed by McG. Those two names may lead you to expect a pretty good action film. If that was your guess, then you would be half right. The film tells the story of Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner). He is an aging CIA hit man who is forced to retire due to a sudden illness for which there is no cure. This new reality forces him...[Read More]
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a re-boot of the character that Tom Clancy created back in 1984 in his book The Hunt for Red October. Several novel and movie sequels later we are re-introduced to Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) thru this film. His origins are updated to fit with contemporary American history. We meet Jack as post-grad student in London studying Economics. He abruptly opts to join the USMC, du...[Read More]
We’re two-thirds of the way through October, and Gravity has just had its third straight week atop the box office, which I think qualifies it as succeeding beyond anyone’s expectations. In the meantime, this week’s installment of Trailer Trashin’ takes a look at this Christmas’ upcoming thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Premise: Jack Ryan (Chris Pine), a young CIA a...[Read More]
With the release of Iron Man 3 less than two weeks away, the beginning of the 2013 summer movie season is almost in sight. Apart from some occasional bright spots, this has been a pretty boring spring for movies, so the beginning of summer can’t get here soon enough. And this week’s installment of Trailer Trashin’ takes another look at one of my most anticipated films of this sum...[Read More]
It’s been an embarrassment of riches, dear readers. In the past week-and-a-half, new trailers have been released for no less than six of next year’s big movies. Obviously, these trailer are coming out in conjunction with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which was a ton of fun, and I highly recommend you go see it. Because there were two trailers in particular that I wanted to examine...[Read More]
If you went to see The Dark Knight Rises – and considering that it’s already made over $530 million worldwide, many of you probably have – you probably got a look at the next DC Comics movie coming our way. It’s the one superhero who sports a bigger name than Batman. The Man of Tomorrow, the Last Son of Krypton, the Big Blue Boy Scout: Superman! And we’ve got not one, but two ver...[Read More]