Ed Koch

This picture is one big waste of time, including that of the actors and those in the audience who pay to see it. The star of the film, Denzel Washington, is also one of its producers. How he could have viewed this flick as a vehicle for his talents is one of the great mysteries of Hollywood. It is beyond me why so many first-rate actors agree to appear in and produce so many awful films. More »

This is an emotional and delightful movie starring Morgan Freeman whose portrayal of Nelson Mandela is outstanding. Though far less impacting, Matt Damon's performance as Francois Pienaar, captain of a South African rugby team, is fine and equal to the task. The story is based on a book written by John Carlin entitled "Playing the Enemy." Whether or not it is entirely accurate, I don't know, but it rings true and is in accord with what the public knows about… More »

This film is a lovely rendering of Queen Victoria's life before she ascended to the throne at the age of 18.Victoria is portrayed by Emily Blunt. Her childless uncle, King William (Jim Broadbent), has chosen her as his heir. Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson), and her chief adviser, Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong), want a regency to rule for Victoria until she reaches the age of 25. Another uncle, King Leopold of Belgium (Thomas… More »

The reviews were overwhelmingly bad, but I knew I would ultimately see this movie for two reasons. One is that P.T., who has excellent judgment on everything, said that while it isn't a great picture, it is enjoyable. The second reason is more personal. New York City mayors participate in the annual "Inner Circle" show produced by members of the city's press corps. The reporters perform in two acts and the mayor follows. Mayor John Lindsay started the tradition… More »

Crazy Heart is a wonderful picture that will immediately affect you and hold your interest to the very end. Country singer Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) used to write songs during his lengthy and illustrious career. Although he no longer writes, he continues to perform, albeit in smaller venues like bars and malls. His voice is nearly gone due to his heavy drinking and smoking over the years, but he is still an icon for the small crowds attending his concerts,… More »

The reviews that I read of the new Sherlock Holmes were mixed, ranging from two and-a-half to four stars. I come out on the side of those who believe the movie missed the mark. The overextended plot involves the apparent sighting of Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) who was hanged for crimes he committed. An examination of his coffin, however, reveals another man's body. Lord Blackwood is back to take over the world, a la Hitler if you listen carefully to his speech… More »

It's Complicated is similar to a television sitcom. Regrettably, while amusing and worth seeing, the film doesn't approach the cleverness in dialogue or situations that the Seinfeld series did or the current Curb Your Enthusiasm show does, both co-created and produced by Larry David. The situation involves Jane (Meryl Streep), a famous chef and restaurateur, who lives in a beautiful Santa Barbara home which she is expanding. Adam (Steve Martin), the architect… More »

I did not like this film at all, notwithstanding Manohla Dargis's glorious review in The New York Times. She wrote: "With 'Avatar' James Cameron has turned one man's dream of the movies into a trippy joy ride about the end of life - our moviegoing life included - as we know it. Several decades in the dreaming and more than four years in the actual making, the movie is a song to the natural world that was largely produced with software, an Emersonian exploration… More »

The two brothers in the title are Sam and Tommy. Sam (Tobey Maguire), a captain in the Marines, is married to Grace (Natalie Portman). The couple has two young girls: Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and Maggie (Taylor Geare). Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) has just been released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The boys' father, Hank (Sam Shepard), adores Sam and detests Tommy. When Sam is sent back to Afghanistan for another tour of duty, his… More »

A slick, cute, diverting, superbly-acted film but also an empty one due to the picture's raison d'être: a one-trick pony concerned solely with lack of commitment. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) works for a company that steps in and fires long-time employees of other companies when their managers find it difficult to perform the task. Bingham is rarely home, spends most nights in hotels and has racked up millions of frequent-flyer miles as a result of his constant… More »

"A Single Man" is about the life of a gay-middle-aged university professor, George (Colin Firth), who lost his architect lover, Jim (Matthew Goode), in an auto crash. The film opens with George receiving a phone call informing him of Jim's death. Jim's family had no intention of telling George of the tragedy or of inviting him to the funeral, which he does not attend. The film follows the next 24 hours as George grapples with life after Jim. George goes to his… More »

It has been my lot recently, for a number of weeks, to watch what I had hoped would be good or "plus" movies, only to end up panning them. It ain't my fault, and as the age-old adage goes, I implore you, don't kill the messenger. This film, regrettably, I must consign to the ash heap. The story is that of what follows the near end of civilization occurring after a cataclysmic tragedy which is never fully explained. It could have been a nuclear war or a volcano… More »

In this mystery drama, John Rosow (Michael Shannon) serves as the protagonist--a former New York City police officer working as a private investigator in Chicago. He is hired to follow Frank Wood (Harold Fullmer). Rosow soon uncovers that Wood is one of the listed missing persons from the Twin Towers collapse on 9/11. Rosow is promised $500,000 if he delivers Wood back to his wife. Rosow follows Wood on a long train ride from Chicago to Los Angeles. Rosow… More »

Two cult directors whose films I look forward to seeing are Woody Allen and Pedro Almodovar. I have seen every Allen film, and even when a picture is only mediocre, I always find something intriguing and enjoyable about it. Not so with all of Almodovar's films. While I haven't watched every one, I make an effort to see his pictures even when they receive less than passing grades from other reviewers. On several occasions, I felt disappointed when the picture ended… More »

An extraordinary anti-war film that does not engage in polemics. The Messenger's extreme effectiveness is due to the brilliant acting of the two principal characters played by Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson.Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery (Ben Foster), who demonstrated great courage under fire in Iraq, is sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey, and given an interim assignment while waiting discharge from the service. He is paired with Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), a career… More »

This movie, about the romance between the poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, has been playing for some time and still draws large audiences. The main characters are John Keats (Ben Whishaw), Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), and Keats' best friend, Charles Brown (Paul Schneider). The film was written and directed by Jane Campion. Keats, who is too poor to marry Fanny, ultimately becomes ill, probably dying of tuberculosis although the illness is not named. He eventually… More »

This is an extraordinary story with an exceptional cast. The painful life burdens of the movie's main character, a teenager named Precious, will cause you to weep.In the beginning of the film, an extremely obese teenager, Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), is caring for her Down Syndrome baby whom she has named Mongol. She is soon to deliver birth to a boy who will be named Abdul. The horror is that both children were fathered by Precious's own father who is the… More »

This absurd film, in my opinion, illustrates the contempt that Hollywood writers and producers have for the intelligence of their audiences.It is difficult to set forth a bare-bones outline of this picture, but I'll try. Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), an Army man who specializes in parapsychology, is trained to kill using his evil eye. He demonstrates this ability by staring at a goat which has a heart attack and drops dead. Cassady meets a young reporter, Bob… More »

This interesting movie could have been much better; nevertheless, it is worth seeing. Its plot centers on the war crime trial of a Bosnian Serb general who allegedly committed acts of ethnic cleansing against the Bosnian Muslims during the civil war in Bosnia (part of the old Yugoslav Tito-run Balkan state which was settled during the Clinton presidency). General Goran Duric (Drazen Kuhn) appears at the outset of the film, three years before the trial that the film… More »

I wanted to see a movie that had been around for a while, since the week's new openings did not read very well in the reviews. The New York Daily News gave this film four stars so I thought to myself that it would be a safe bet, after all, what have I got to lose? Regrettably, plenty in terms of time. And at the age of 85, time is very precious. While I stood in line at the Angelika Film Center waiting for the earlier performance to end, I decided to ask… More »