Movie Reviews

Fright Night

Vampires finally get to be the bad guys in this clever remake

Diana Beechener

Vampires have been in a sorry state for over a decade. With the advent of Twilight, True Blood and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, these creatures of the night have been defanged by popular culture. Turned into tortured and misunderstood souls, the once great monsters became the mopey teens of the horror genre. That’s why it’s a delightful surprise that Fright Night allows its vamps to have some bite.

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– by Diana Beechener – 8/25/11

The Devil’s Double

An Iraqi soldier finds himself in a Middle Eastern version of Scarface in this well acted thriller

Diana Beechener

On the eve of the first Gulf War, Iraqi soldier Latif (Dominic Cooper: Captain America) is doing his duty in the skirmishes and dreaming of the day he can leave the military and join his father in the family bookstore.

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– by Diana Beechener – 8/18/11

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

This smart re-imagining of a Sci-Fi classic will make you want to join the Simian Revolution

Diana Beechener

It’s hard to win over a crowd when the premise of your movie is the demise of humanity. Still, at my screening of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, humans were actively cheering for chimpanzee Caesar (Andy Serkis: Burke and Hare) to kick some bi-ped butt.

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– by Diana Beechener – 8/11/11

Cowboys & Aliens

A fun but mindless action movie puts the plot out to pasture in order to focus on effects and fun

Diana Beechener

A man with no name rides into a dustbowl of a western town. No, he’s not Clint Eastwood, but it’s a reasonable facsimile. The man is Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig: Defiance), a former bank robber who lost his memory around the same time he got a mysterious metal cuff on his wrist. When Lonergan is caught in town, local cattle baron Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford: Morning Glory) demands the right to hang the robber.

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– by Diana Beechener – 8/4/11

Captain America: The First Avenger

This patriotic hero had more dimension in comicsCaptain America: The First Avenger

Diana Beechener

Writing a negative review of Captain America: The First Avenger makes me feel a traitor. But here goes. On paper the Cap (Chris Evans: Puncture) is a pretty good idea: He wears a costume that pays tribute to the stars and stripes. He fights Nazis with gusto. And unlike other action heroes, his virtue is beyond reproach.

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– by Diana Beechener – 7/28/11

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

A decade of magical movies ends with a spellbinding film

Diana Beechener

Dirty, exhausted and ready to embrace his fate, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) enters the forest for a showdown with the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes: Clash of the Titans). Most moviegoers know how the story ends, yet the movie audience gasped as the battle began. That’s the power of Potter.

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– by Diana Beechener – 7/21/11

Horrible Bosses

Three friends prove the best revenge makes for great comedy

Diana Beechener

Everyone has had a moment of wanting to kill the boss. Maybe it’s a fleeting thought after a bad meeting or a constant daydream in a hostile work environment. Either way, typically, calmer heads prevail and no lives are lost. In Horrible Bosses, calmer heads don’t prevail, and it’s pretty damn funny.

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– by Diana Beechener – 7/14/11

Winnie the Pooh

A silly old bear and his buddies prove you don’t need 3D to make great animation

Diana Beechener

Since Walt Disney last visited the Hundred Acre Woods, animation has seen the advent of 3D, computer rendering and gross-out humor. This no-frills revisit to the classic story of Winnie the Pooh is a return to hand-drawn animation.

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– by Diana Beechener – 7/28/11

Cars 2

A southern-fried catastrophe ruins Pixar’s stellar run at the top of animation.

Diana Beechener

After 16 years of producing the most lauded animation in the film industry, Pixar has earned the blind trust of critics and audiences alike. This is why the horrible, thoughtless cash grab of Cars 2 seems like such a betrayal. It’s like finding out your favorite uncle secretly enjoys kicking puppies.

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– by Diana Beechener – 7/7/11

Super 8

JJ Abrams writes a love note to Stephen Spielberg with aliens, explosions and boyish wonder

Diana Beechener

Did you ever wonder what would have happened if ET had been found by the government instead of that adorable moppet Elliott?

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– by Diana Beechener – 6/30/11

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