Note: Eight years ago, I collaborated with my nine-year-old daughter Sarah on a brief review of an animated film starring Clifford the Big Red Dog. It seems like yesterday, yet here Sarah is about to be a college student. In fact, she's leaving us this week. Her writing and her critical insights have matured a great deal in the last eight years, and over the years she's tried her hand at a few more movie reviews. This one, an essay on the Studio Ghibli coming-of-age tale Whisper of the Heart, is, I think, one of her best; certainly the first review I wrote as a college graduate (for the Warren Beatty film Dick Tracy, as I recall) doesn't hold a candle to this. Sarah captures this film so...READ MORE

Latest 60s. Enjoy!

Ruby Sparks (SDG)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (DD)

I've been out of pocket a bit recently, so I've got quite a backlog of 60 Second Reviews! David DiCerto and I offer our takes on The Watch, The Dark Knight Rises, Savages, The Amazing Spider-Man, People Like Us, Ice Age: Continental Drift and Ted!

The Watch (SDG)

The Watch (DD)

The Dark Knight Rises (SDG)

The Dark Knight Rises (DD)

Savages (SDG)

The Amazing Spider-Man (SDG)

People Like Us (DD)

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Ted (DD)

Regular readers have noticed that my film blogging has been lighter of late—and if anything, that trend is going to continue, for reasons that will become clear soon.

For now, though, I want to highlight a welcome development in film blogging that I’m very much looking forward to following in the months and years ahead.

Two of my dear friends and fellow film writers have joined the new Film channel at Patheos: Jeffrey Overstreet of Looking Closer and Peter Chattaway of FilmChat.

I’m especially pleased to see Peter coming out of a long blogging and writing hiatus. Jeff has remained consistently prolific as long as I’ve been reading him, but I’ve missed Peter’s presence for awhile,...READ MORE

Latest Reel Faith 60 Second Reviews … enjoy!

To Rome, With Love

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Latest Reel Faith 60 Second Reviews from David and me! Enjoy! And watch tonight's episode at 8pm Eastern!

Brave (SDG)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Brave (DD)

Last week I screened Pixar’s new movie Brave with my oldest daughter Sarah. I’m still under embargo and can’t tell you what I thought of the film until next week — but I can tell you this much.

Reviews from the Hollywood trade journals (Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, etc.) and perhaps other sources are starting to appear … and they all freely reveal a key second-act plot twist that I went into Brave not knowing. And I’m sure that more reviews, as they come out, will do the same.

What these reviews treat as basic background information came as a complete surprise to me — a surprise I’m grateful for. It’s not in the trailers, which mostly focus on the first act, culminating in an...READ MORE