HollywoodandFine.com Sean Penn is a global activist who puts his money – and, more important, his physical self – where others barely pay lip service. His advocacy on behalf of the voiceless is stirring, but it obviously is also time-consuming and costly. So when a paycheck role like “The Gunman” …
HollywoodandFine.com No one wants to be deemed second-best, yet there it is, right in the title of the film: “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” Not the intention, I’m sure – but the result, nonetheless, when you succumb to sequel-itis: Let’s take this delightful little surprise hit and try to …
HollywoodandFine.com James “The Amazing” Randi is not just a magician – he’s a skeptic, a rather more important calling. As the subject of the documentary “An Honest Liar,” by Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom, Randi comes across as an alternately engaging and crusty old guy. His bushy eyebrows take on …
HollywoodandFine.com Writer Bruce Wagner’s script for David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars” is of a piece with his other work. It blends a cynical vision of people with an even darker examination of the worship of the superficial that is Hollywood life. But instead of the kind of roiling tale …
HollywoodandFine.com Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s “Focus” brings to mind Tony Gilroy’s similarly complex but more fun “Duplicity,” from a couple of years ago: a tale of love among the con men, in which emotion – considered weakness in this trade – becomes a factor. “Focus” works hard and does …
HollywoodandFine.com Sports movies starring Kevin Costner: It could be a category on “Jeopardy.” But that’s not really a bad thing. While the Costner oeuvre has its share of titles devoted to athletic themes, he hasn’t made many bad ones. He has a solidity and an honesty on screen that make him …
HollywoodandFine.com When James Bond rebooted with Daniel Craig in “Casino Royale,” the blend of old-school spy tale and modern-action sensibility seemed right – if still a little restrained. Imagine now what would happen if James Bond were put in the hands of someone who was willing to not just rethink …
HollywoodandFine.com Amusing and slight, “What We Do in the Shadows” is a mockumentary drawn from the same sensibilities that produced “Flight of the Conchords,” “Eagle v. Shark” and “Boy,” among others. Written and directed by the team of Jemaine Clement and Taiki Watiti, this film presents a flock (coven? pride? …
HollywoodandFine.com There aren’t many films from the past 15 years that bowled me over the way “The Matrix” did. Unfortunately, the Wachoskis – Andy and Lana – haven’t come close since then. The “Matrix” sequels proved that not every successful movie deserves to be a trilogy. “Speed Racer” was an …
HollywoodandFine.com How can J-Lo ignore “The Boy Next Door”? She can’t, obviously, because he’s a blazing wackjob with an erotic obsession for his new neighbor. In this low-voltage thriller by Rob Cohen, she’s Claire Peterson, a high school English teacher (you can tell she’s smart because she wears glasses) whose …