NYC Film Critic

Act of Valor boasts the participation of real Navy SEALs, but that doesn’t mean that the finished product is particularly realistic.  I explain why in my review over at TWoP.  Follow the links below for this week’s content.

Act of Valor Review
Studio Ghibli Retrospective
I Want My DVD
What We Want to Happen at the Oscars
SNL Recap
TV on DVD
Downton Abbey Recap
Pan Am Recap
Eastbound & Down Recap

The DOA action rom-com takes a creepy premise and makes it even creepier through illogical plotting, sub-par action sequences and forced comedy.  Tom Hardy deserves better than this and, fortunately, will get it later this year in The Dark Knight Rises.  In the meantime, avoid this one at all costs.

This Means War Review
I Want My VOD
I Want My DVD
BAFTA Highlights
TV on DVD
Comic Book Men Review
Downton Abbey Review

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds headline the new thriller Safe House or, as I deemed it in my TWoP review, The Bourne Rip-Off.  Read that piece as well as my take on this years Oscar nominated short films over at the site.

Safe House Review
Oscar Nominated Shorts
I Want My DVD
The Amazing Spider-Man Preview
TV on DVD
Super Bowl Movie Trailers
Looking Back at Slings & Arrows

2012’s first big surprise is Chronicle, a mostly ingenious mash-up of a superhero origin story and a found footage stunt.  It’s not a perfect film, but the inventiveness on display is pretty galvanizing, especially for a genre that’s always runs the risk of blockbuster bloat.  Also this week over on TWoP, I made my official Oscar predictions.  Only three weeks to go until the big night!

Chronicle Review
The Woman in Black: Straight Outta Hogwarts
How Daniel Radcliffe Can Beat the Post Franchise Blues
I Want My DVD
Q&A With Ti West
Oscar Picks and Predictions
TV on DVD
Downton Abbey Recap