This summer’s abysmal update of “Dark Shadows” marked a career low for Tim Burton, the visionary director of “Ed Wood,” “Edward Scissorhands” and the best Batman movie NOT directed by Christopher Nolan (that’s “Batman Returns” for those keeping score at home). Truth be told, Burton has been in a major creative funk for years, directing […]

Look beyond the residents of “Hotel Transylvania” and the monsters in “Resident Evil Part 18” and you’ll notice fascinating, character-driven films playing at a theater near you.  And no, not all of them fit nto the artsy-fartsy, “for-film-snobs-only” genre. Nope, the most surprising winner so far this season is “Looper,” a sci-fi thriller with more

The bravura, off-the charts-crazy performance of Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master” isn’t a subtle piece of acting– and really, what were we expecting following his faux-rapping shenanigans in “I’m Still Here.” In “The Master,” he plays an unstable war veteran who becomes mesmerized by the enigmatic leader of The Cause, a religious/psychological movement with all-too-familiar

Any good buddy cop movie is dependent on the chemistry of its two leads. In “End of Watch,” Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña develop such a convincing rapport that their famous faces all but vanish within the roles. The adventures of Officers Taylor and Zavala on the streets of Los Angeles may not be entirely

Professional baseball players should stay far away from “The Expendables 2,” a bombastic action movie sure to cause a suspicious spike in testosterone levels. This celebration of 80s action movies is a definite mark up from the laziness in the original “Expendables.” Sylvester Stallone hands the director’s chair over to Simon West (“Con Air,” “The

The trailers for “The Bourne Legacy” suggest an expansion of the world introduced in the Matt Damon-starring “Bourne” trilogy. There’s a lot of talk about Damon’s character, Jason Bourne, and the promise of familiar faces explaining more about the mysterious government programs the first three films tease. Forget all that. “The Bourne Legacy” basically amounts

No matter how dirty this election season gets, take comfort that it won’t come close to matching the shenanigans in “The Campaign.” This R-rated takedown of American politics is everything you’d expect from stars Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis, including foul verbal hissy fits, sex, drugs and occasional fistfights with babies. OK, minus that last