“Tuscan Sunset,” says actor Rob Brydon as he’s describing the color of the make-up being applied to Steve Coogan’s prosthetic nose. This is the story of Tristram Shandy (sort of) based on the nine-volume novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. Actually, it’s the (apparently fictional) back-story of how Michael Winterbottom and company attempted to…
Tripp always dates but never holds down a relationship — always jettisoned when the girl realizes, inevitably, that he still lives with his parents. His parents, Sue (Kathy Bates) and Al (Terry Bradshaw), want more than anything to see him get out on his own. Their motives aren’t entirely altruistic, of course. They’ve spent enough time being parents and would like to finally have some time to themselves again. Their neighbor’s son finally moved out, which motivates them to…
Disney proves yet again that they’ve completely run dry of fresh ideas. Here, for the umpteenth time (I’ve lost count), they recycle yet another movie from their vaults. While their animated movies follow one formula–underdog overcoming adversity in coming-of-age journey and/or to be reunited with friends and family–the live-action films have etched out another trite formula: The family member who must undergo a metaphysical transformation to realize they don’t spend…
“Gentlemen, do not despair,” Rochester reassures us before we have reason to care for a reassurance delivered by him. Blah blah… something something… “I do not want you to like me.” No, really, I couldn’t quite follow what he was saying because he was mumbling, like a poorly mimeographed page of script, an affectation of Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” I can follow garbled dialogue when it’s in…
Is there something that was not addressed in Wes Craven’s 1977 original that is in this remake, also produced by Craven and directed by Alexandre Aja? I have not watched the original but, if it is even remotely like the movie I have just seen, I’m certain I can go an entire lifetime without having viewed it. “The Hills Have Eyes” is touted as a horror film but I think it belongs in a narrower subgenre populated mostly by directors who seem preoccupied with the need to outdo each other’s…