Movie review by Greg Carlson Nowhere near as good as several earlier Pixar efforts, “Up” still manages to engineer breathtaking technical moviemaking, personal flourishes, and (less attractively) a nose for commercial prospects in its archetypal story of loss, hope, and renewal. Like immediate predecessor “WALL-E,” the movie’s first third is easily its strongest, and the […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson Sequels in lumbering, decades-old franchises slavishly obey the law of diminishing returns, and “Terminator Salvation,” the fourth feature in the series launched twenty-five years ago this October by James Cameron, is no exception. Painted in the dusty, dirty hues of gun-metal gray, McG’s addition to the venerable sci-fi/action behemoth takes […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson While many tales of illegal immigration made for the American movie market focus on the drama generated from crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border, Cary Joji Fukunaga’s debut feature film “Sin Nombre” finds its footing in the arduous, perilous legs of the south to north journeys that happen long before Texas […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson The subtitle of the American market translation of Roberto Saviano’s “Gomorrah” (just “Gomorra” in Italian) reads “a personal journey into the violent international empire of Naples’ organized crime system.” The description accurately explains the young journalist’s inside view of one of the world’s most corrupt regions, which Saviano claims is […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson On the pulpy pages of the Marvel comic books that have seen Wolverine evolve into one of the most popular characters in the medium, a thorough accounting of the irascible Canadian’s origins did not materialize until the person also known as Logan had been around for decades. Wolverine first showed […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson A worthless and surprisingly chaste rehash of “Fatal Attraction” by way of “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” “The Temp,” and “Disclosure,” veteran television director Steve Shill’s “Obsessed” is as forgettable as its bland title. “Obsessed” trades on all kinds of uncomfortable racial and gender stereotypes without attempting to say […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson A passable, nostalgia-fueled coming-of-age yarn about the relationship between an Amazing Kreskin-esque “mentalist” and his youthful road manager/assistant, “The Great Buck Howard” will interest followers of John Malkovich anxious to see anything featuring the quirky performer. Inspired in part by the real life experiences of writer-director Sean McGinly, who was […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson Critiquing a movie like “Observe and Report,” filmmaker Jody Hill’s follow up to the mildly amusing martial arts comedy “The Foot Fist Way,” is a daunting proposition. Engineered for maximum shock, “Observe and Report” defies its audience to sympathize with any of its reprehensible characters, despite the unfortunate likelihood that […]

Movie review by Greg Carlson “Adventureland,” director Greg Mottola’s strong and welcome follow-up to “Superbad,” moves away from a steady stream of comic vignettes in favor of the more observational approach employed by the filmmaker on his debut feature “The Daytrippers.” A snapshot of a summer season in the life of a ragged Pittsburgh amusement […]