Movie Review: Akira (mild spoilers)

Akira is a deeply unusual and downright disturbing yet highly compelling action film, and it shows intensely the potential evils of chasing after power and treating it as an end in itself. The story’s bold intentions are sometimes more interesting than the way they are executed, but even these narrative issues don’t stop the movie from being highly recommended–to a very specific audience.

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness (mild early spoilers)

Star Trek Into Darkness is a thoroughly astounding reminder of what I love about the best action movies. The story is complex, almost to a fault, while still feeling relevant for our own world. The characters are also full of depth and intricacy, which allows the film to keep the viewer questioning who the real villains are. The action is constantly exciting and powerful, and it complements the plot perfectly without overwhelming it. This is a success of a summer blockbuster if I have ever seen one, and it has more than enough reasons to deserve your attention.

Movie Review: Doubt (2008)

What would you do if you were accused of a devastating offense?

And what would you do if your accuser was without evidence but was utterly convinced of your guilt? Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman, who employs humor and anger with equal skill) of Saint Nicholas Church School finds himself in such an unenviable position, having been accused by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (the adept Meryl Streep) of involving himself in an inappropriate relationship with an altar boy. And she will not back down.

Movie Review: Act of Valor

Act of Valor is a guilty pleasure of a movie romp whose exciting combat sequences and beautiful, diverse environmental shots do a mostly good job of covering for a plot that’s so thin that it becomes silly. Some tonal inconsistencies that pop up very late in the film are deeply problematic, but they’re infrequent enough that their overall impact will depend greatly on how much the individual viewer is willing to forgive.