 Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Drama
Run Time: 1 hour 37 minutes, PG-13 Starring: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, Zac Efron Written & Directed by Josh Radnor (Happythankyoumoreplease) It sucks growing up, and nothing feels more like a kick to the proverbial groin than returning to your alma mater years after graduation. Such is the base plot of Liberal Arts, a new film starring, written and directed by Josh Radnor, Ted Mosby on TV’s How I Met Your Mother. Having become great friends with an old professor (Richard Jenkins), Jesse returns to campus to attend said professor’s retirement party. While there he meets and falls for Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen), a college student who is several years his younger.
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 Rating: 5 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Run Time: 2 hours 52 minutes, Rated R Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Keith David, James D’Arcy, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, Based on the book by David Mitchell Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, The International), Andy & Lana Wachowski (The Matrix) It’s epic, ambitious and one of the most impressively entertaining films of the year. It is also bound to divide critics and audiences alike, as it has already been lauded by some to be among the best films of the year while simultaneously being panned by others as one of the biggest flops of all time. I am here to tell you that I categorize Cloud Atlas on the side of brilliance. I can also tell you that I sympathize and understand most of the criticism that this film will face, though I vehemently stand by Cloud Atlas as one of my favorite films of 2012.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Crime, Thriller
Run Time: 1 hour 29 minutes, Rated R Starring: Richard Coyle, Bronson Webb, Agyness Deyn, Zlatko Buric Written by Mathew Read Directed by Luis Prieto (Condon Express)Genre: Crime, Thriller Unless you are an avid film lover, you probably haven’t seen or heard of the 1996 Danish film, Pusher. That film was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who gained some notoriety state-side last year with the Ryan Gosling vehicle, Drive. This new version of Pusher is an English-language remake of this cult classic film.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Foreign
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Emmanuelle Devos, Pascal Elbe, Jules Sitruk, Mehdi Dehbi, Areen Omari, Khalifa Natour Co-Written & Directed by Lorraine Levy (The First Time I Turned Twenty, London mon amour) What would you do if you found out that your teenage child was actually not yours? My parents may be thrilled (joking, mom...), but this very serious and tragic question is the crux of The Other Son.  Rating: 1 out of 5 starsGenre: Action, Crime
Run Time: 1 hour 41 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Edward Burns, Rachel Nichols, Jean Reno, Giancarlo Esposito Directed by Rob Cohen (The Fast & The Furious, xXx, DragonHeart) Be careful what you wish for, Detroit-ers. Yes, most of us were extremely excited when Michigan brought film incentives to our state a few years back. We were looking forward to Hollywood productions rolling into town and we saw this possible influx of work as something positive - not only for workers in Detroit, but as an opportunity to highlight Detroit to the rest of the country and world.  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Crime
Run Time: 1 hour 49 minutes, Rated R Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson Written & Directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) The first scene in Seven Psychopaths speaks to what this film is about, and sets the stage for what’s to come. Michael Pitt and Michael Stuhlbarg – both recognizable thugs from HBO’s Boardwalk Empire – are two hitmen awaiting the arrival of a female that they are about to whack. They have a sharp-tongued, Pulp Fiction-esque conversation about killing - alluding to movies such as The Godfather – as they both over-analyze their upcoming situation. Suddenly and without much warning, there is some abrupt violence.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Thriller
Run Time: 2 hours, Rated R Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Titus Welliver, Tate Donavan Written by Chris Terrio, from an article by Joshuah Bearman Directed by Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, The Town) It’s a story so absurd it must be true. Based on the true story, Argo is a real film about a fake film called Argo. At the height of the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1980 during Jimmy Carter’s Presidency, six Americans were stranded and forced into hiding right in the heart of Iran. The American Embassy had been overtaken by rioting Iranians, upset at the U.S. for harboring their much-despised former Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Don’t worry though - this film begins with a quick history lesson that sets the stage and informs any unaware audience members of the intense international situation.  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy
Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, Rated R Starring: Olivia Wilde, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Ashley Greene, Ty Burrell, Alicia Silverstone, Kristen Schaal, Rob Corddry, Yara Shahidi Directed by Jim Field Smith (She’s Out of My League) Opening today in limited release is a film that probably deserves it. Butter is a zany comedy that grossly under-uses a very talented cast. How can a film starring Modern Family’s Ty Burrell, 30 Rock’s Kristen Schaal, and Children’s Hospital’s Rob Corddry not be funny? Here comes the intended pun about Butter: “I can’t believe it’s not better!”  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Action, Thriller
Run Time: 1 hour 32 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen Directed by Olivier Megaton (Colombiana, Transporter 3) Bryan Mills - like pretty much every other action super hero - just can’t catch a break. In Taken – the 2008 hit starring Liam Neeson – Mills was a retired CIA agent whose daughter (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped while in Paris, forcing him into action to find her. She was being held captive by an Albanian mob who had nabbed her as part of a prostitution ring. As these kinds of movies go, Mills kicked butt and took names, totally annihilating the band of thugs while finally proving he was a good dad by saving his only daughter. |
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality, host and
the Executive Producer of Movie Show Plus.
He also is the featured film critic appearing on WXYZ Channel 7 Action News in Detroit,
and appeared weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit from 2016-2020.
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