“Prometheus” Review: Polished on the outside, hollow on the inside
By Wesley Emblidge
June 10, 2012
I can’t adequately describe how excited I was for “Prometheus” when I sat down to see it. I was excited enough to see it on my birthday and go into the city to see it on a nice big IMAX screen. And really, why shouldn’t I have been? A new film from Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott, in whi...
“Men in Black 3” a fun but forgettable ride
By Wesley Emblidge
May 26, 2012
Going into “Men in Black 3” (or is it MIB³?) I had a question: why does this film exist, especially now? The first film in what I guess is now a trilogy, “Men in Black,” is a fun film from 1997, but not much more. People make it out to be an amazing classic, and although I do enjoy it and I own it...
“Battleship” Review: This ship sunk itself
By Wesley Emblidge
May 19, 2012
“They ain’t gonna sink this battleship, no way,” says one Navy officer toward the last act of “Battleship,” in total seriousness. It made me contemplate, for maybe the hundredth time, how did we get here? How is hollywood so creatively bankrupt they resort to adapting a boring board game in...
Nothing can save clunky “Dark Shadows” from its own script
By Wesley Emblidge
May 16, 2012
From just the first few shots at the beginning of “Dark Shadows,” you can already tell, this is obviously a Tim Burton film. Johnny Depp’s voice-over lets you know that, since he’s in it, there’s at least a 50% chance Burton directed it. Add in a Danny Elfman score, and stunning, stylized...
Overlong “The Five-Year Engagement” still has fun despite runtime
By Wesley Emblidge
April 30, 2012
On the surface, “The Five-Year Engagement” sounds great. The director of “Forgetting Sarah Marshal” teaming up with his star from that movie, Jason Segel, on another R rated romantic comedy. A great cast makes it look even better, with Segal supported by Emily Blunt (“The Adjustment Bureau”), Chris Pratt (“Parks & Recreat...
Charms of cast save “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
By Wesley Emblidge
March 8, 2012
The title “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” might seem to be some sort of metaphorical title, but in fact it’s exactly what the film centers on. The consultant (Emily Blunt) for a sheik in Yemen (Amr Waked) attempts to get help from a fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) on how they might introduce salmon into t...
“Being Flynn” centers around undesirable character
By Wesley Emblidge
March 7, 2012
At one point, Robert De Niro one of the best actor’s in the business. As of late however, he’s struggled to release anything of real value with films like “New Year’s Eve” and “Little Fockers.” However “Being Flynn,” a film based on the true story of Nick Flynn (Paul Dano), seemed li...
“Jeff Who Lives at Home” embraces heartfelt moments
By Wesley Emblidge
March 6, 2012
When you sit down to watch a film starring Jason Segal (“Forgetting Sarah Marshal”) and Ed Helms (“The Hangover”), one might expect a crazy, raunchy, R comedy. Although “Jeff Who Lives at Home” is rated R, and is very funny at points, the last thing anyone would call it is raunchy. Instead, the ...
Political satire “Butter” makes use of talented cast with creative concept and witty screenplay
By Wesley Emblidge
November 2, 2011
Is there really anything more compelling than the story of a small town butter carving competition? “Butter,” the film by Jim Field Smith that showed at the recent 34th Mill Valley Film Festival, makes you believe that there really isn’t. However it’s more than just that, the film is actually a...
“A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas” brings exactly what you expect, in a good way
By Wesley Emblidge
November 1, 2011
The “Harold and Kumar” film series has always been about one thing: madness. Insane, drug induced, sex-filled madness. What starts as just two stoners (Kal Penn and Kumar and John Cho as Harold) trying to get some White Castle burgers becomes an adventure with strippers, orgies, drug trips and Neil Pat...
Dark cancer comedy “50/50” balances funny and dramatic elements effectively
By Wesley Emblidge
September 26, 2011
Here are two words that probably shouldn’t go in the same sentence: cancer and comedy. However, those are the two best words to sum up the new film by Jonathan Levine, “50/50,” starring Joseph Gordon- Levitt as Adam, a man diagnosed with cancer at just 27. Instead of taking the typical dramatic route, screenwriter Will Reiser (who drew from his real life experien...
“Our Idiot Brother” Delivers an Empty Belly of Laughs
By Made Sandrolini
September 10, 2011
Embarassingly enough, I am primarily drawn to romantic comedies, and feel that a comical movie without the slightest touch of "boy meets girl," is missing something. However, “Our Idiot Brother”, a comedy directed by Jesse Peretz, and appropriately written by his sister Evgenia Peretz, is complet...
