Why is Katniss Everdeen so reluctant to be a hero? (And why ‘Gotham’ features the rarest of heroes)
Movie and TV commentary: John Hansen examines the odd trend of fictional cinematic heroes who are initially unwilling to fight for what’s right.
New ‘Vacation’ is no classic, but it has enough laughs to be worth a rental (Movie review)
The fifth theatrical release in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” series – which confusingly has the exact same title as the first entry — has enough laughs to be worth a rental (it’s now available from Redbox). But it’s not destined to be a classic in the vein of “Christmas Vacation” (1989), which many people will screen […]
John’s top 10 songs from ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ so far (TV commentary)
Two new shows I kept on my viewing schedule have already been canceled – “Wicked City” and, for all intents and purposes, “Minority Report,” which had its episode order cut to 10. But the TV networks have kept the best fall show: “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” I’m setting myself up for more disappointment, perhaps, as I’m now not only […]
‘Paper Towns’ is ‘American Graffiti’ for a new generation … but it’s no ‘American Graffiti’ (Movie review)
On the surface, there’s a lot to like about “Paper Towns” (now available from Redbox), as a group of high school seniors goes on one last (or one FIRST, as the case may be) grand adventure before graduation. Quentin (Nat Wolff) and his friends explore the run-down urban areas of west Orlando for clues left by his […]
‘Creed’ respects ‘Rocky’ traditions while doing something a bit different (Movie review)
“Creed” — the seventh entry in the “Rocky” series — respects its elders while also doing its own thing. As the saga’s first film not written by Sylvester Stallone, and the first not directed by Stallone or John G. Avildsen, “Creed” has a different sense of style. That having been said, Stallone’s Rocky is the heart […]
Countdown to ‘Creed’: ‘Rocky Balboa’ (2006) unapologetically, effectively tugs at heartstrings (Movie review)
Rightly ranked by IMDB voters as the best of the “Rocky” sequels (with a 7.2 rating), “Rocky Balboa” (2006) is a beautiful grace note to the fighting portion of the Italian Stallion’s career. (His training career appears to continue in “Creed.”) While the film makes few bones about the fact that a 50-something former champion can’t beat […]
Countdown to ‘Creed’: This ain’t no pie-eating contest, but ‘Rocky V’ runs off the rails in final act (1990) (Movie review)
The “Rocky” films never drifted into the arena of spectacle as much as their reputation suggests. Even the most over-the-top entry, “Rocky IV,” includes acknowledgements of the heightened plot, like when the commentators note the bizarreness of the Creed-Drago match. Still, the larger-than-life villainy of Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago changed the perception of the […]
Countdown to ‘Creed’: Boxer takes on Cold War, inner demons in muscular ‘Rocky IV’ (1985) (Movie review)
With its montages and Eighties arena-rock songs, not to mention the “U.S. versus U.S.S.R.” foundation that begs for the hoariest of subtexts to be added, “Rocky IV” (1985) is unquestionably the most stylized film in the series up to this point. At first blush, it’s a brainless throwaway movie with a must-buy soundtrack highlighted by Robert Tepper’s […]
Countdown to ‘Creed’: ‘Rocky III’ (1982) regains eye of the tiger with enjoyable friendship yarn (Movie review)
Are the “Rocky” films more spectacle or substance? At first blush, the opening act of “Rocky III”(1982) suggests spectacle. Rocky fights professional wrestler Hulk Hogan – OK, technically “Thunderlips” – in a charity bout. It’s unclear to both Rocky and the viewer whether Thunderlips is putting on a show or actually trying to beat the crap […]
Countdown to ‘Creed’: Boxer recovers, finds new challenges in solid ‘Rocky II’ (1979) (Movie review)
Life doesn’t become easy after your first success: Blowing up one Death Star doesn’t mean you’ve defeated the Empire. Dumping Shredder into a garbage truck doesn’t mean he won’t come back as a supermutant. And so forth.