"Wonka" is another version of the story of chocolatier Willy Wonka, a character from 1964 novel by Roald Dahl, and the 1971 and 2005 movies. This one is a musical, solidly directed by Paul King ("Paddington" 2014), who also co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby. It [..]

"RKO 281" is the true story of the problem-filled production of the 1941 movie classic "Citizen Kane." Liev Schreiber delivered a subtle and nuanced performance as Orson Welles, the legendary producer, director, co-writer, and star of "Citizen Kane," an expose of sorts of newspaper tycoon William Randolph [..]

"Being John Malkovich" is an off-beat fantasy comedy picture about a puppeteer who stumbles upon a portal that leads directly into the mind of actor John Malkovich. Director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, both making their big screen debut, created a film that is fresh, original, [..]

Director Sam Raimi ("The Quick and the Dead" 1995) and screenwriter Dana Steven have created a soppy and overly sentimental sports drama about a forty-year-old major league pitcher facing his last season, with a romantic subplot. The film was adapted from the 1991 [..]

"Purgatory" is a made-for-television western movie that tells the story of a group of outlaws fleeing a posse and mysteriously finding themselves in a town called Refuge. It slowly dawns on them that they are actually in a sort of purgatory, where they must atone for past [..]

"Dick" is a hilarious comedy about two fifteen-year-old girls who unwittingly, in an almost Forest Gump style, become acquainted with President Richard Nixon, who makes them his official dog-walkers, giving them daily access to the White House. They soon become involved with the Watergate scandal, and the [..]

"Girl, Interrupted" is a psychological drama movie telling the story of a young woman institutionalized for 18 months after a suicide attempt. Director James Mangold ("Cop Land" 1997) did a good job of adapting the 1993 memoir of the same name by Susanna Kaysen. There are [..]

Director-screenwriter David O. Russell ("Flirting With Disaster" 1996) put together a lame black comedy called "Three Kings." On the surface, it is a story of four American soldiers pulling off a gold heist during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq against Saddam Hussein following the end of the [..]

"Joan of Arc" is a film about a young Frenchwoman in the 15th century who was instrumental in freeing her nation from foreign domination. This three hour movie tells the story of Joan's entire life from 1412-1431. There are numerous problems with this movie, starting with [..]

The story of "Star Wars" begins in a trilogy of prequels, the first one called "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace." Set thirty-two years before the original "Star Wars" of 1977, the story has Jedi master Qui-Jon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi [..]