Confusing story lines and a poorly written script characterize "The Counselor." Though producer-director Ridley Scott ("Alien" 1979) makes an attempt at a glossy production with big name stars, picturesque cinematography, and good editing, the confusing screenplay by Cormac McCarthy make this 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures [..]

"Captain Phillips" is an excellent action thriller from director Paul Greengrass ("Green Zone" 2010). Tom Hanks stars in the title role as Captain Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean in 2009, when they hijacked the MV Maersk Alabama cargo ship. [..]

"Escape Plan" is a surprisingly good action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Director Mikael Hafstrom ("Shanghai" 2010) and screenwriters Miles Chapman and Jason Keller have put together a good showcase picture for the two veteran film personalities. Stallone plays engineer [..]

Hugh Jackman has had his best appearance yet as "The Wolverine," the second film following 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and the sixth installment of the X-Men's film series. This movie is set almost completely in Japan, starting in 1945 when Logan is in a prison camp near [..]

"Elysium" is a science fiction film from director-screenwriter Neill Blomkamp that starts off as promising sci-fi action but disintegrates into political commentary that is woven into the storyline, as he did in "District 9" (2009), his last movie. Stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, [..]

"2 Guns" is a buddy-action film laced with comedy from director Baltasar Kormakur ("Contraband" 2012). Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg play criminals working on drug deals who do not realize that they are both undercover agents working for different branches of the U.S. government. One is [..]

"Paranoia" is slickly produced movie thriller featuring corporate espionage as the star of the show. Liam Hemsworth plays a man whose mistakes jeopardizes his job at a technology company. His bosses give him a chance to redeem himself if he will agree to get hired at [..]

The Walt Disney Company had a huge box office bomb on its hands back in 2013 with its remake of "The Lone Ranger." Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribean: At World's End" 2007) created a film with a meandering storyline, a muddled [..]

Low-brow comedy rules in "Grown Ups 2," sequel to 2010's movie of the same name. Director Dennis Dugan ("Just Go With It" 2011) and screenwriters Fred Wolf, Tim Herlihy, and Adam Sandler appeal to the lowest common denominator with this material. Lead actor Sandler plays a [..]

"Pacific Rim" is a fun science fiction story telling of many nations pooling their resources to battle monsters that are emerging from a portal on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Producer-director Guillermo del Toro ("Hellboy" 2004) put together this fast-paced film that holds the viewers' interest [..]