Comedy

‘Last Action Hero’ (1993) deconstructs genre’s absurdities

Today, the TV Tropes website catalogs TV and movie tropes, but “Last Action Hero” (1993) did it before the internet was around. The film, which

READ MORE

‘Mask of Zorro’ (1998) has impeccable stunts but no surprises

Zorro is a rare superhero who doesn’t come from comic books, and indeed he predates the 1938 invention of Superman. He was created in 1919

READ MORE

‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ ain’t exactly ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’

“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (NBC) isn’t “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” … or “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” … or “Zoey 101.” Watching the pilot episode of the series

READ MORE

‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ still a fun and funny romp

I imagine director/co-writer Jake Kasdan and his four lead actors, upon finishing 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” – the surprisingly great sequel to 1995’s dull

READ MORE

John’s top 10 movies of 2019

These were my 10 favorite movies of 2019, a year when superheroes continued to dominate but when we also got prime slices of action, comedy

READ MORE

30 observations about ‘Christmas Vacation’ (1989)

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” came out 30 years ago this month, and it has only grown in status as a holiday classic since. Here are

READ MORE

‘Kick-Ass 2’ (2013) finds its groove

Writer-director Jeff Wadlow, taking the reins from Matthew Vaughn, delivers a funnier and more focused “Kick-Ass 2” (2013). It’s formulaic, but that makes it better

READ MORE

‘Knight Before Christmas’ is more empty calories from the Netflix holiday machine (Movie review)

“The Knight Before Christmas” (November, Netflix), like most of TV’s recent holiday movie catalog, is so uninspired that I wonder if the sets, locations, casting

READ MORE

‘Let It Snow’ is a light but watchable Gen Z X-mas gathering (Movie review)

“Let It Snow” (November, Netflix) comes from a 2008 novel co-written by coming-of-age chronicler John Green. It’s adapted by Kay Cannon (“Pitch Perfect”) and two

READ MORE

‘Good Boys’ is somehow both the raunchiest and cutest comedy of the year (Movie review)

There were many ways “Good Boys” could go wrong, from over-reliance on the shock value of tweens dropping F-bombs, to kids who can’t act, to

READ MORE