RMSMC :: Staff : Laura James

'The Blind Side' not much more than a family feel-good

Throughout this year’s award season, critics raved about “The Blind Side” and Sandra Bullock’s performance. Apr 1, 2010 | 12:40 am

Best Actor Oscar well deserved for Bridges, "Crazy Heart"

Just more than two weeks ago Jeff Bridges, the star of the indie film “Crazy Heart,” won an Oscar for his portrayal of an aging country music icon in rapid decline. Mar 22, 2010 | 10:56 pm

"The Crazies" packs a one-two punch

The zombie flick de jour happens to be “The Crazies,” a film that takes the apocalyptic human threat to a whole new level. Trouble is brewing in a sleepy Iowa town of Ogden Marsh, and people are starting to act strange. When a local man, formerly the town drunk, crashes a high school baseball game with a shotgun at the ready, things start to deteriorate across the community. Feb 28, 2010 | 8:57 pm

'Shutter Island' fantastically freaky

With the name Martin Scorsese, it’s hard not to perk up the ears a bit. Known for his amazing directorial abilities, Scorsese has made some seriously great films throughout his career. However his latest flick, “Shutter Island,” is a departure from his forte. Feb 21, 2010 | 7:58 pm

'Valentine's Day' delivers audience mediocre laughs

“Valentine’s Day,” the new film from famed comedian and director Garry Marshall, is a star-studded spectacle meant to dazzle the audience with its A-list cast. On the whole, however, the movie has a mediocre plot and wastes the talents of several different actors. Feb 14, 2010 | 9:02 pm

"Avatar" dazzles the eyes but lacks the plot

“Avatar” brings the long-awaited return of famed “Titanic” and “Terminator II: Judgment Day” director James Cameron. Feb 1, 2010 | 3:10 pm

Sappy 'Dear John' jerks tears from the overly sentimental

“Dear John,” starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum, has been hyped as the great new tearjerker for our generation. Feb 7, 2010 | 9:48 pm

'Invictus' showcases powerful performance by Morgan Freeman

It has to be said that Clint Eastwood has never made a bad film. His latest project, “Invictus” is right up there in directorial quality with other Eastwood films like “Million Dollar Baby” and “Mystic River,” despite having a very different effect on the viewer. Jan 31, 2010 | 9:46 pm

Jackson's 'The Lovely Bones' a failed attempt at adaptation

Peter Jackson, the famed director of “King Kong (2005)” and the “Lord of the Rings” series, sits at the helm of one of what is sure to be many disappointing movies this year, “The Lovely Bones.” Alice Sebold’s 2002 novel of the same name chronicles the experiences of a young girl named Susie Salmon after her brutal murder in 1973. Jan 24, 2010 | 9:28 pm

Brothers

Jan 18, 2010 | 12:51 am

'Pirate Radio' a hit music flick

Richard Curtis, the writer and director of 2003’s “Love Actually,” has created an unusual, yet hilarious high seas adventure with his new flick “Pirate Radio.” Phillip Seymour Hoffman stars as an American DJ who lives aboard a ramshackle radio-tower-boat, the Radio Rock, where he broadcasts banned rock n’ roll music from the North Sea to the United Kingdom during the 1960s. Dec 17, 2009 | 1:24 pm

'The Box' offers classically strange thriller to audiences

Richard Kelly, the director of the 2001 cult hit “Donnie Darko,” has done it again with the strange mystery/thriller “The Box.” Although “The Box” doesn’t stand up to “Donnie Darko” in terms of overall effectiveness and comprehension, “The Box” does accomplish a lot throughout the film. Set in 1976, the plot follows a young couple in Virginia, played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, who receive a small wooden box with a red button. Dec 16, 2009 | 1:54 pm

'Paranormal Activity' intrigues the gullible

The directorial debut of Israeli immigrant Oren Peli, "Paranormal Activity" targets the most gullible of audience members. In the spirit of Halloween, people have flocked to get their horror fix from the indie flick and "Saw VI." And like the phenomenon of 1999's "The Blair Witch Project," people are fascinated by the possibility of paranormal happenings and frightened by the things that happen to the unsuspecting victims of haunting, poltergeists and twisted serial killers. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm

'Where the Wild Things Are' not wildly entertaining

of the beloved children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" was wildly disappointing./ /The story, which follows an unruly little boy who imagines a world full of "wild things" after being sent to bed early without his dinner, has been transformed into this depressing and ultimately unnecessary movie. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm

Barrymore's directorial debut rocks and rolls on eight wheels

Drew Barrymore's directorial debut "Whip It" has some serious guts. The coming-of-age flick stars Ellen Page (Juno) as Bliss, an average 17-year-old girl who lives in a small town in Texas. Audiences find Bliss a young woman unsure of herself, working a dead-end job at the Oink Joint while her controlling mother forces her into beauty pageants. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm

Futuristic thriller falls far short of expectations

In a future full of avatar robots, what could possibly go wrong? Enter the world of "Surrogates" -- a new awesomely bad Bruce Willis gem. Based off the 2006 graphic novel "The Surrogates," the new action/thriller falls short of Director Jonathan Mostow's works, which include "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "U-571. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm

Dark comedy hilarious, falls short of potential

Based off of Kurt Eichenwald's 2000 book titled "The Informant: A True Story," Steven Soderberg's newest film "The Informant!" stars Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, a corn company vice president-turned informant for the FBI. Soderberg, who directed Damon in the "Ocean's" movies, turned this very serious true story into a dark comedy that the audience gets to watch Whitacre unravel. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm

Movie Review: Slasher remake 'surprisingly satisfactory'

Opening last weekend, the slasher flick "Sorority Row," a remake of the 1983 classic "The House on Sorority Row," was surprisingly satisfactory. Thanks to an interesting mash-up of casting decisions, the characters of "Sorority Row" paint themselves as vindictive, petty and rude. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm

'Extract' lacks depth, falls short of director's past work

Mike Judge, the creator of "Beavis and Butthead," "Office Space," and "Idiocracy" returns back to the workplace in his newest comedy "Extract." The story follows the successful food extract factory owner Joel, played by Jason Bateman ("Hancock" and "Juno"), who is dealing with the many stresses of middle-aged life. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm

'Taking Woodstock' not so groovy

Most would think a movie about the greatest concert of all time would be as exciting as the music that was performed there, but "Taking Woodstock" did not satisfy the audiences desire for a truly groovy time. In "Taking Woodstock," director Ang Lee's (The Hulk, Brokeback Mountain) historical look at the family that made the iconic concert of the century possible, was surprisingly dull. Jan 20, 2010 | 1:23 pm