Compared with too many other World War II movies that came out of Hollywood during World War II THEY WERE EXPENDABLE is exceptional.
All in Action
Keanu Reeves' MAN OF TAI CHI
Keanu Reeves deserves praise for directing this film. The blend of serious action and engrossing story work extremely well here and raises this film way above the many run-of-the-mill fight films out there. Highly recommended.
Gavin Hood's ENDER'S GAME
The first half of ENDER’S GAME plays like every “raw recruit boot camp” movie you’ve ever seen, punctuated by sequences about paintball in zero gravity.
David Twohy's RIDDICK
If you want to see a tough guy with glowing eyes kick ass from dawn to dusk, this is the movie to see.
Christopher McQuarrie's JACK REACHER
Jack Reacher is another solid action film from Tom Cruise. It is well-written, tightly paced, and it has excellent photography and editing. Night-time photography is extremely well done with bright colors and clarity throughout.
Alexa Gajic's “TECHNOTISE: EDIT & I”
Edit herself is an interesting mix of naïveté, intelligence, raw energy, and stubbornness. Why she hangs out with the losers she does is never fully explained but, taken together, they make up a very entertaining ride that has some of the most interesting technology animation this side of WALL•E.
Jon Wright's GRABBERS
Jon Write’s GRABBERS is a very entertaining monster movie comedy. The story elements are fairly standard: meteor plunges into sea, creature crawls ashore and terrorizes small town, townspeople gather to fight the menace. The way these elements are assembled is original, fun, and occasionally, quite charming.
Tommy Wirkola's HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS
Hansel and Gretel The Witch Hunters is a train wreck of a movie. You know something awful is happening but it’s hard to look away.
James Mangold's THE WOLVERINE
While I’ve enjoyed the X-Men movies they haven’t significantly resonated with me as I was never really invested in the Marvel universe. The Wolverine is an exception.
David Twohy's PITCH BLACK
I recently re-watched this scifi-horror film from 2000 and boy was I impressed.
Hark Tsui's “FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE”
Hark Tsui’s FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE at times reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s almost Tom-and-Jerry-like in its portrayal of action and violence. Yet it’s immensely entertaining if only for its exotic locations, diverse costumes, visual splendor, and fascinating facial tattoos.
Pete Travis' DREDD
Lena Heady proves again she is well on her way to becoming the go-to actor for psychopathic female leaders. This woman does not fool around and is just plain fun to watch. I would love to see her play a character up against “Alice” in the next Resident Evil movie.
Neill Blomkamp's ELYSIUM
You can enjoy it as an action thriller but the underlying stories and significance go way beyond that. I’ll take Elysium over a comic book hero movie any day.
Marc Forster's WORLD WAR Z
This is an amazing and exciting film. While the storyline is a bit thin at times the viewer is rushed headlong through a series of harrowing adventures culminating in an intense cat and mouse chase in a secret research facility.
J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS
Having grown up reading the science fiction of Clarke, Heinlein, and Asimov, the original Star Trek TV series always seemed unsophisticated and juvenile.
Joseph Kosinski's “OBLIVION”
Great popcorn movie. Really enjoyed it. Terrific visuals, interesting variations on familiar themes.
Sam Mendes' SKYFALL
I’m not a big fan of James Bond movies. I enjoyed Skyfall but I admit to having been bored at times. Why? A couple of reasons:
Paul W.S. Anderson's RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION
I really enjoyed the previous Resident Evil movie so I looked forward to this one. I decided to see it in the theater and spent the extra $4 for a 3D ticket. Was it worth it?
Gareth Evans' THE RAID: REDEMPTION
In the Jakarta slums a derelict apartment building looms.
Len Wiseman's TOTAL RECALL
The new TOTAL RECALL is a fun movie. It’s nowhere near as gratuitously gory and twisted as Paul Verhoeven’s great Arnold Schwartzenneger version, but it makes up for that with performances, visuals, and pacing that match and in some cases surpass the original.