Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy give us some escapist entertainment in the buddy road picture "Identity Thief." Director Seth Gordon ("Horrible Bosses" 2011) and screenwriter Craig Mazin provide the pair with loads of fun material to keep the picture moving for nearly two hours. Bateman plays [..]

"The Wolf of Wall Street" is a black comedy that went to far to the dark side: Glamorizing drug use, excessive use of profanity, and giving positive celebrity status to to individuals who find creative ways to cheat people out of their money. [..]

Producer-director-screenwriter Peter Berg ("Battleship" 2012) has put together a good wartime drama in "Lone Survivor." The film is based on a SEAL Team's failed mission during the war in Afghanistan to capture and kill a major Taliban leader, with only one American surviving and escaping. [..]

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a disappointing remake of 1947 classic that featured Danny Kaye in the title role. The original succeeded because the picture was tailor-made for the talents of Kaye, and concentrated on the fantasies imagined by Mitty. The 2013 redux failed [..]

"Copperhead" is a Civil War drama from independent director Ron Maxwell ("Gods and Generals" 2003). Based on the 1893 novel "The Copperhead" by Harold Frederic, the title refers to the Northern opponents of the Civil War. Set in upstate New York, [..]

The Oscar for Best Picture of 2013 was deservedly awarded to "12 Years a Slave." This is a true story of a free-born African-American man from New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South in 1841. Chiwetel Ejiofor is outstanding as Solomon [..]

Director Lee Daniels ("The Paperboy" 2012) has crafted an excellent historical drama called "The Butler." The star of the show, Forrest Whitaker, delivers a strong performance as Cecil Gaines, who served as a White House butler from 1952 to 1986. It is based on the real [..]

"Killing Kennedy" is a made-for-television film examining the administration of President John F. Kennedy and his assassination in 1963. It is a faithful adaptation of Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's 2012 book of the same name. The teleplay was written by Kelly Masterson and expertly directed [..]

"Killing Lincoln" is an astoundingly informative made-for-television movie about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The teleplay by Erik Jendresen is a faithful adaptation of the 2011 book by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. It takes a look at the largely unknown details immediately preceding and [..]

The biopic "Jobs" about Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs is mostly a dull affair. The screenplay by Matt Whiteley is probably accurate about Jobs' life details but that does not necessarily translate into good cinema. Ditto for Ashton Kutcher's performance in the title role; he seems [..]