This is fizzy, frothy fun. And it all works better if you don’t focus too closely. The leads (Will Smith and Margot Robbie) are likeable, even charismatic; any question about their uneven chemistry may be […]
review – mcfarland, usa
This may be the “feel good” movie of the first quarter. Yes, it’s a bit long and with the subject of cross country running, it’s not quite as exciting as it might be with another […]
review – taken 3
A half-dozen years ago, with the first movie that began this franchise, Liam Neeson seemed to have given new life to his career. At an age where he was a bit old to be a […]
review – still alice
This is both frightening and enlightening work. It’s a fully-affecting performance in a fully-disquieting movie. As the story goes deeper and the situation becomes more desperate, we feel helplessly trapped in the downward spiral of […]
review – american sniper
Clint Eastwood has directed thirty films, not all of them good. But, when he gets it right, he makes stripped-down entertainment that engages our mind, speaks to our heart, and leaves us changed by the […]
review – selma
This works better as an important history lesson than it does as a dramatic movie. It’s better written than it is edited, more authentically staged than it is emotionally engaging. It feels slow, stretched out, […]
review – into the woods
I love movie musicals. I could watch them forever – which is approximately how long this one seemed to go on. At just over two hours, it seems like it’s at least a half hour […]
review – the gambler
In a word, this movie is “tedious.” And blame that on Mark Wahlberg. He brings no emotional involvement to Jim Bennett, his gambling-addicted character who’s at the center of this story. He shows no elation […]
review – unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand, author of the book “Unbroken,” is a writer of great taste and enormous talent. She told the true, fully-human story of Louis Zamperini in a way that put his horrific experiences in World […]
review – big eyes
Think of this as “the beauty and the buffoon,” a potentially-intriguing story in which Tim Burton’s direction and Christoph Waltz’s performance force Amy Adams to act against a cartoonish character. The result is a husband-wife […]
review – wild
Director Jean-Marc Vallee has proven (in last year’s “Dallas Buyers Club”) that he can tell powerful stories by getting extraordinary performances from his actors — and he gets one from Witherspoon here. Make-up free for […]
review – top five
Tis the season of self-validation. Michael Keaton is proving he can transition from “Batman” to “Birdman.” Reese Witherspoon is showing she can be authentically “Wild,” rather than just “Legally Blonde.” And now Chris Rock is […]
review – inherent vice
This head trip of a movie seems to have at least a rough destination in mind, but – and blame it on the drugs — it’s also willing to wander down endlessly-confusing and always-convoluted back […]
review – horrible bosses 2
The original “Horrible Bosses” was clever. This one is crude to the point of being cringe-worthy. It keeps the cast, but jettisons most else. Gone are credibility, the exaggerated boss-worker relationships, and any semblance of […]
review – ‘nightcrawler’
Well, this one made me wish we could revisit the Hayes code for a day or two, just to clean up the mess. Here we have a film where the protagonist is a sociopathic criminal […]
review – the imitation game
The tagline on the first teaser poster accurately summarized its plot succinctly: “The true enigma was the man who cracked the code.” His name was Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) and from the beginning, he was […]
review – foxcatcher
If you want a clear indication that the industry’s lost touch with the average movie-goer, consider the praise being heaped on this lumbering lump of a movie. This is a predictable story told thinly and […]
review – ‘all relative’
With a premise that almost at once rings as being a deep vein to mine comedy from, writer / director J. C. Khoury seems to rather skim the surface instead. The first third of […]
‘Midnight Rider’ Creators Settle Wrongful Death Suit
Apparently the assholes that were trying to produce “Midnight Rider” have managed to pay off the family of the deceased Sarah Jones, a camera assistant on the aforementioned Gregg Allman biopic, who was killed during […]
review – the homesman
As a writer-director, Tommy Lee Jones has an enduring attraction for the rugged west. He went there in 2006 for his directorial debut, “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada;” now he’s back with a western […]
Zac Efron Poised To Escape Being ‘Zac Efron’?
Okay, let’s just face it…when you think “Zac Efron”, what comes to mind? Do you picture Oscars, powerful performances, roles right alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest and brightest? I don’t know about you, all I […]
Oscar nominated scribe tapped to adapt ‘The Goldfinch’
Oscar nominated scribe tapped to adapt ‘The Goldfinch’ under the roof of the Brothers Warner. Peter Straughn (‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, ‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’) has been called upon to adapt the Pulitzer […]
Arri Alexa On “Elementary”
Working with ALEXA: ELEMENTARY Recently renewed for a third season, ELEMENTARY is a U.S. crime drama series that puts a contemporary spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes characters, with Lucy Liu playing a […]
PANAVISION ROLLS OUT PRIMO 70 LENSES
PANAVISION ROLLS OUT PRIMO 70 LENSES AT CAMERIMAGE | Panavision. BYDGOSZCZ, POLAND (November 13, 2014) – Panavision, the company behind the world’s best cinema lenses for 60 years, is showcasing their new line of Primo 70 […]
LAFR Independent Film Awards Announced
Welcome to the 2015 Los Angeles Film Review Independent Filmmaker Awards! We here at LAFR love film and filmmaking, and the vast majority of our editorial staff have either previously, or still do work in […]
LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW 