A.J. Hakari
06 Mar 2008
Predictable Ferrell movie ‘Semi-Pro’ underwhelms reviewers
Counting this critique of the new sports comedy “Semi-Pro,” all of my reviews for the semester thus far have been negative. This can mean one of two things: either I’m an ornery curmudgeon who’s hard to please, or movies these […]
28 Feb 2008
Reviewers split over new teen flick ‘Charlie Bartlett’
One of my favorite teen movies has to be 1990’s “Pump Up the Volume.” About a renegade DJ who truly connected with his small town’s angsty youth, the film possessed great amounts of vigor, passion and intelligence—all traits one wouldn’t […]
21 Feb 2008
Weak plot makes fast-paced ‘Jumper’ hard to follow
I have to give credit to “Jumper” in one aspect of its storytelling. A sci-fi tale about people who can teleport anywhere on a moment’s notice, “Jumper” nails the fact that if most individuals had this power, they’d probably use […]
14 Feb 2008
Hudson, McConaughey reunite for lackluIster ‘Fool’s Gold’
Usually, the term “fool’s gold” refers to a mineral that can be mistaken for real gold. But when applied to a new adventure/comedy of the same name, though, the gold is the amount of moolah the flick will pull in […]
07 Feb 2008
New Alba flick ‘The Eye’ a bad remake of fIrightening original
The original version of “The Eye” stood at the forefront of the Asian horror boom. It arrived just in time, right before leagues of imitators stormed the gates and made it difficult to distinguish a ripoff from a truly frightening […]
13 Dec 2007
Controversial 'Golden Compass' a mediocre adaptation of children's book
Much ado has been made in recent weeks about “The Golden Compass,” specifically its alleged, not-so-pleasant overtones regarding Christianity. I’ve never read the Philip Pullman book the film’s based upon or any of the others in the series, so I […]
06 Dec 2007
Reviewers praise Coen Brothers' 'No Country for Old Men'
Sometimes I really hate being restricted to 500 words to review a movie. Case and point, “No Country for Old Men,” the latest project from filmmaking maestros Joel and Ethan Coen. Described in mere words, the story resembles the basis […]
29 Nov 2007
Disney misses the mark with fairy tale spoof 'Enchanted'
Dear readers, please forgive me for being more than a little skeptical about Disney’s new family feature “Enchanted.” It’s not that the ads made it out to be the freakin’ mayor of Girlietown (which it is; this makes “Pretty Woman” […]
15 Nov 2007
'Lions for Lambs' mirrors present day political landscape
A subject of endless debate amongst hardcore cinephiles and casual movie fans alike has been what the cinema’s exact purpose is. Many argue that the movies should be an escape from the real world, where we can forget our problems […]
08 Nov 2007
Washington's new movie 'American Gangster' a masterpiece
Much has been bandied about lately as to why the recent wave of thematically-heavy films have been underperforming at the box office. I suspect the sheer glut of them has something to do with this, but by no means does […]