Paul – 2 1/2 Buckets

Much like Gore Verbinski’s recent, lavishly praised animated film Rango, Greg Mottola’s celebration of science-fiction and geek culture, Paul, is deeply referential of American cinema of the last half-century. Subtle Easter-eggs and full-on homages fly fast and furious in both films, especially Paul. The reason you will find very few people raving about this Simon [...]

Weather Girl – 2 Buckets

It’s telling of Weather Girl’s quality that standing five feet from supporting actress Kaitlin Olson on the movie’s Los Angeles Film Festival red carpet was more exciting for this “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fan than anything in the movie itself. After a small theatrical release, Weather Girl will premiere on the Lifetime Channel in October and, [...]

The Rocker – 2 1/2 Buckets

It’s tough for me to write a review for The Rocker that is as negative as the one it deserves because, all told, I’d probably pop the movie into my DVD player and watch it again right now if the opportunity presented itself. There’s something inherently pleasant and digestible about the picture’s airy entertainment-value; it is [...]

Alvin and the Chipmunks – 1 1/2 Buckets

The opening scene of Alvin and the Chipmunks promises a surprisingly quirky and innovative update of the classic television cartoon, boasting a gut-busting rendition of Daniel Powter’s Top 40-hit “Bad Day” as sung by the title rodent trio. The sketch brilliantly evokes the spirit originally popularized by chipmunk brothers Alvin, Simon, and Theodore—jubilantly singing in their [...]

Eye of the Dolphin – 2 Buckets

More than any other emotion, Eye of the Dolphin made me feel anger. This was not because of the film’s content—it’s a pretty inoffensive motion picture all around—but because of its exploitation of a great lead performance. As the film’s protagonist, troubled-teen Alyssa, Carly Schroeder is a revelation. She hits all of the right notes as [...]