PIXELS Review — Good for a Giggle
By Lisa Johnson Mandell My critic colleagues will probably drum me out of the “union” for trashing Trainwreck and Paper Towns but touting Pixels. So be it. When you watch a movie through the eyes of its intended audience, you see things a little differently. Pixels is intended as a film for younger kids to watch with…
TRAINWRECK Review — Amy Schumer Blows Hard
By Lisa Johnson Mandell Here’s the thing: You either get Amy Schumer or you don’t. I don’t. I think her humor is snarky and mean spirited and her foul mouth makes me uncomfortable. I say this knowing full well that she’s the hottest thing on TV right now, and soon to be the hottest thing on the…
ANT MAN Review: Whoops There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant
It’s quite the challenge to stand out in the pantheon of Marvel superheroes–it’s becoming very crowded up there with all those super-sized egos and personas. But low and behold, the humble Ant Man makes a mighty entrance, and manages to crawl almost to the top of my superhero summit. Ant Man, as deftly played by Paul Rudd, is now second…
MINIONS Review — What's Not to Love?
By Lisa Johnson Mandell I admit it, I’ve been captivated by these small, yellow pill-shaped characters since they first appeared in Despicable Me. Yes, I have a Minions ringtone, and I actually kept for myself the stuffed Minion I bought for my nephew for Christmas. So I’m predisposed to like this animated feature that recaps the…
MAGIC MIKE XXL Review — Stripped Down to the Bare Essentials
This “Hunks on Parade” sequel never claims to be any more than exactly what it is: a huge, glossy jar of eye candy for the ladies, and for some gents as well. Music, muscles and musk–absolutely perfect for a bawdy girls’ night out. This time around the stripper pole we find our manly meat puppets mostly…
TED 2 Review — Just Bearable
The original Ted, about a teddy bear coming to life and adopting the more raucous personality traits of his owner, was outrageous and uproariously funny. Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg teamed up to produce some unforgettable comedic scenes, including a brawl in which Ted actually kicked some bad boy booty. It’s hard to top a scene like that,…
THE GALLOWS Review — It All Hangs On Cassidy Gifford
By Vanessa Martin Guidon Editor’s Note: A girl can’t be everywhere at once, so from time to time I call upon my fabulous friends to help me out in the review department. Meet Vanessa Martin Guidon, who is giving you a far better assessment of this film than I could have. Firstly, I should tell…
MAX Review — We Love a Good Dog Tale
Kids, military service dogs and Marines. How can you criticize a combo like that? You know exactly what to expect when you buy your tickets to see Max — tears flowing from start to finish — even through the credits, which run along side photos of military hero dogs through the decades. Max is a Belgian Malinois that…
SELF/LESS Review — Oddly Emotion/Less
Take Ryan Reynolds, who was so understatedly brilliant in Woman in Gold, team him up with elegant chameleon Ben Kingsley, British Matthew Goode who has been seen in everything lately from The Good Wife to The Imitation Game, and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey). Then throw in Derek Luke, Natalie Martinez and Victor Garber for good…
Five TV Highs to Ease 'Game of Thrones' Withdrawal
By James Mandell Ever since cable execs figured out that summer re-run season was the perfect time to launch original programming, the corporate game o’ thrones has breathed new fire into June TV. And with AMC, Netflix and Amazon following HBO and Showtime’s lead, the bar’s been raised with entertaining, high-quality choices. Here are five titles, all available for streaming, one way or another.
