Bridgeport Movie Examiner

Men Who Stare at Goats - good performances in an odd film

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:06:39 -0700

The Men Who Stare at Goats, directed by Grant Heslov, is based on a true story (showcasing once again that truth is always stranger than fiction) of a so-called elite (and secret) military band of ‘psychic warriors.’ This band of gonzo...

My Favorite John Wayne Movies: The Quiet Man

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:42:02 -0700

Reviewer’s disclaimer: this is not only one of my favorite John Wayne movies, it is one of my favorite movies of all time. Why? For those of you who have been following this series, I previously described my definition of a favorite movie: o...

My Favorite John Wayne Movies: Angel and the Badman

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:11:27 -0700

This is another of my favorite John Wayne Movies: Angel and the Badman - a little seen or appreciated movie that, once again, doesn’t fit the more well-known rough and tumble Duke Wayne image. Made in 1947, this film depi...

In Theatres this Friday: Amelia, Astro Boy, and Motherhood

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:07:00 -0700

Coming out this weekend are two films I can’t wait to see, and a third I am really very curious about. First the two I want to see: The much anticipated film, Amelia, is directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) and stars the Academy-awar...

Now out on DVD: The Proposal, Wolverine, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:38:47 -0700

Looking for something fun to rent and watch?

Check out these reviews of The Proposal, Wolverine and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Happy Viewing!

Surrogates is a fast ride with few emotions

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:53:56 -0700

Photo: Touchstone PicturesSurrogates stars Bruce Willis, who plays an FBI agent investigating the first homicide that any agent on staff can recall. That’s because, in this movie’s futuristic reality, humans have turned their lives over t...

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs makes you wish for rain

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:43:28 -0700

Photo: Sony PicturesCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a gem of an animated feature, is filled with droll humor, eye-rolling slapstick, talking monkeys, rats with wings – and oh yes, food, food, food. Eye-popping, techno-colored food that makes...

Out on DVD: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a mishmash of a rom-com with a good ending

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:42:50 -0700

Photo: New Line ProductionsGhost of Girlfriends Past, now out on DVD, and starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, is a mishmash of a romantic comedy. Based on Dicken’s Christmas Carol, it serves up a typical rom-com scenario of a manb...

Fall Films Opening this Friday: Blind Date, Fame and Surrogates

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:51:01 -0700

Photo: Touchstone PicturesStarting this week, we have more drama, some dance, a little heartbreak, and, to save us all, again: Bruce Willis!Blind Date – Directed by, and starring, Stanley Tucci, as well as the incredible Patricia Clarkson, this...

Out on DVD: Wolverine is a solid X-Men back story, filled with action and angst

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 08:44:59 -0700

Photo: Marvel ComicsX-Men Origins: Wolverine is a solid action hero back story flick, filled with action and angst. Hugh Jackson once again dons the claws, and shares the agony, as one of the more conflicted and popular X-Men. Wolverine appeals to bo...

Fall Movie Preview: Some zany (and fun) stuff out there

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:21:17 -0700

Photo: Warner Bros.This Fall movies take a bit of a zany turn, but perhaps it is good in this economic downturn to have so many offbeat choices. After all, the world has gone a bit off beat all by itself, hasn’t it?Here are the ones worth inves...

District 9 is astonishingly unique

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:31:01 -0700

Photo: Sony Pictures InternationalDistrict 9 is an astonishingly unique and original science fiction movie filled with gritty and realistic special effects. However, it’s the imaginative story line and the unusual main characters that pull you ...

Australia out on DVD: Big country, tons of drama

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:50:05 -0700

Photo: 20th Century FoxAustralia, now out on DVD, is a movie starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, and a country many of us have never seen: what’s not to like? This movie has it all, and the director and editors apparently decided to keep...

Out on DVD: Watchmen is a weird, woeful wreck

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:58:41 -0700

Photo: Warner Bros.Watching Watchmen was a weird experience, and not just because of its special effects. By now we have become accustomed, if not weary, of the faux-animation effects put upon us first by Sin City and then (with much better ‘ef...

The Time Traveler's Wife is a good date movie

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:26:27 -0700

Photo: New Line CinemaThe Time Traveler’s Wife is a good date movie, mostly because it begins with a car crash, in which the main character realizes he possess supernatural powers. Not a bad beginning for people who prefer action flicks. But th...

Julie & Julia is a sumptuous summer feast

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:43:13 -0700

Photo: Sony PicturesJulie & Julia is a sumptuous summer feast of a film, serving up two award-winning actors (Meryl Streep and Amy Adams) in fine form, tight and interesting direction by Nora Ephron (who also co-wrote the script with author Julie...

Requiem for a champ: John Hughes leaves us too soon

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:05:09 -0700

Photo: Paramount PicturesThe shocking news that John Hughes had died at age 59 hit hard. Because his movies were mostly coming of age stories, we just expected that the author of such tales would not age himself. Not that we think of 59 as old; far f...

Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. explore the many roles of friendship in The Soloist

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:11:00 -0700

Photo: Universal PicturesJamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., explore the many roles of friendship in The Soloist, available now on DVD for rental and purchase.In their roles as Nathaniel Ayers and Steve Lopez, respectively, these two actors take an unu...

The Proposal: A good, solid summer romantic comedy

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:48:36 -0700

Photo: Touchstone PicturesThe Proposal, directed by Anne Fletcher, and starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynold (Definitely, Maybe), is a good, solid summer romantic comedy, one that is much better and slightly more deep than its movie trailers portr...

Now on DVD: Confessions of a Shopaholic is a bubble gum morality tale

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:59:11 -0700

Photo: Touchstone EntertainmentConfessions of a Shopaholic, now out on DVD, is a bubble gum morality tale, loosely adapted from the popular book series by author Sophie Kinsella.Directed by P.J. Hogan (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Muriel’s W...