Matt Damon plays "The Informant!" who blew the whistle on Archer Daniels Midland's price fixing stunts in the early 1990's. The energetic performances by Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, and Melanie Lynskey and the fantastic screenplay by Scott Z. Burns make this movie very watchable, though not [..]
The Waiting City (2009)
Australian cinema has probably reached a new low point in "The Waiting City." Actors Joel Edgerton and Radha Mitchell play an Australian couple who travel to India to adopt a child. After a while, they discover the process takes longer than they expected, drawn out by [..]
Knowing (2009)
A confusing plot, weak storyline, and improbable natural disasters are just a few of the problems with "Knowing," a science fiction film poorly directed by Alex Proyas ("I, Robot" 2004). The story centers on a strange paper filled with numbers that somehow predict disasters that will destroy [..]
Amelia (2009)
"Amelia" is a biopic featuring Hilary Swank playing the famed aviator Amelia Earhart. Director Mira Nair ("Vanity Fair" 2004) took Jack Webb's approach: Just stick to the facts. As a result, the film has an old-fashioned Hollywood "A" production feel to it. The excellent screenplay [..]
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009)
The amazing life and career of Dr. Ben Carson is depicted in "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story." Producer-director Thomas Carter and teleplay author John Pielmeier skillfully show his rise from a childhood mired in poverty to become one of the premier surgeons in the world. [..]
In the Electric Mist (2009)
"In the Electric Mist" is an offbeat crime drama from French director Bertrand Tavernier which tells the story of a rural Louisiana sheriff investigating the death of a young woman, with the possible involvement of two Hollywood stars in town to make a movie. The well paced [..]
Management (2009)
First time director Stephen Belber turned out a formulaic romantic comedy called "Management." Belber, who also wrote the screenplay, took a low-brow approach with bad language and blatant sexual content dominating the film. The considerable charm of stars Jennifer Aniston and Steve [..]
The International (2009)
"The International" is a spellbinding political thriller set in Europe's financial sector. Clive Owen and Naomi Watts play an Interpol agent and a New York City ADA, respectively, who investigate alleged corruption within a fictional big bank based in Luxembourg. They soon find out that [..]
Angels & Demons (2009)
Producer-director Ron Howard ("Cocoon" 1985) followed up his big hit from 2006, "The Da Vinci Code." with another conspiracy-laden project called "Angels & Demons." This film is more action-oriented and very slickly produced. It has Tom Hanks returning as Harvard professor Robert Langdon, this time running [..]
He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
Executive producer Drew Barrymore and director Ken Kwapis ("The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" 2005) have made a horrible dud of a motion picture with "He's Just Not That Into You." This story of numerous couples' dating and marriage problems is simply a boring two hour plus [..]