Have you ever joined a conversation that was already underway? As you listened to the other people talking, you felt increasingly uncomfortable and bewildered, wondering how you could make your exit without calling too much attention to yourself? That’s exactly how I felt while watching “The Spirit.” I kept thinking, “Did I miss something? Should [...]

Jim Carrey is an acquired taste. Some people find him positively annoying; others think he’s a comic genius. I wouldn’t say he’s my favorite actor, but I typically find his comedies very entertaining. “Yes Man” included.
Based loosely on the book by British radio producer Danny Wallace and with a screenplay by Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul [...]

Whether it’s pondering life’s mysteries or commenting on our social or political environment, the best science fiction has something to say. In “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” an alien named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) landed on Earth in his flying saucer and brought with him a warning: “Join us and live in peace or pursue [...]

Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a New York-based theater director who is married to Adele Lack (Catherine Keener), a world renowned artist of miniature portraits. Together they have one child, 4-year-old Olive (Sadie Goldstein), who was, it is revealed in therapy, created to improve the couple’s marriage. She has not. Their discord results from [...]

Baz Luhrmann is one of those directors that people seem to love or hate. His films are typically vibrantly hued, frenetically edited, dramatic romances that contain classical or pop culture references. Most of the time, his characters sing and dance. He’s not the most prolific guy in the business, having made just four films in [...]