is a tiny, unexpected gem. more ›

Whether or not the movie Hard Candy frightens you is going to depend entirely on whether or not you have testicles. My male friends cringed throughout this movie and tell me it scared the hell out of them. I had an entirely different experience. It was the first thriller I have ever watched without being frightened. The entirety of the film is based on the interplay between two characters alone together in an isolated house. The male character might be a child molester and pornographer. Or he might not. The young girl may just be totally batshit. I don't want to give too much away, because much of the suspense hinges on uncertainty. But I have become so used to watching women get victimized, that it was kind of refreshing to see the tables turned. I even caught myself rooting for the girl as I questioned her sanity. Does that make me a bad person? more ›

Despite early expectations that it would top $20 million in its opening weekend, when I was twelve! more ›

In yet another blow to the human race, Dwayne Johnson's The Game Plan was this weekend's box-office champ, taking in a richly undeserved 22.6 million dollars in its debut. You know what that means--an even worse sequel (assuming that's possible) is virtually certain to be made. Let's hope it goes straight to DVD and doesn't rob theater space from better, less life-affirming movies. In second place, also in its first weekend, was Peter Berg's... more ›

To no one’s surprise, the awful ($14M). While discerning patriots were sad to see Paul W.S. Anderson’s “vision” further validated, they were somewhat cheered by the continued deterioration of "comedian" Dane Cook’s film career. Also, failed starlet Jessica Alba is one flop closer to what now seems an inevitable, tasteful appearance in Playboy. more ›

Jodie Foster's rather inexplicable box-office appeal was on half-display this weekend as held strong in its second weekend, stealing an additional 9.15M and raising its treasure chest to 28.5M. more ›

It's a fairly busy release schedule tomorrow with a few studio pictures and a bunch of indies hitting the screens. Neil Jordan directs Jodie Foster in ). Reviews are mostly positive and it does have the supremely underrated Nicky Katt (and the formerly underrated, now probably properly rated Terrence Howard), so I'll give it a look. more ›