THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE remembers how to take kids on an adventure
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Quick references and background gags aside, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is not really a nostalgia play.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Directed by Eli Roth
Starring Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Owen Vaccaro
Running time: 1 hour 44 minutes
MPAA rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Family
by Sandy DeVito, WitchQueen of Darkness
What a delight!
I knew I was going to like this film. Call it a hunch. I get those sometimes with certain films. I like Eli Roth's films. Whether you're a fan or not, you have to admit his love of horror is obvious and guileless. That's a love I share. The House with a Clock in Its Walls is the love of horror that blossoms in the pit of a child's stomach, that interest in the strange and unknown that often needs a mentor to come into itself. Here, Roth is the chauffeur for a new generation of young people who like the weird stuff in life. He couldn't be a better fit for this material; his enthusiasm is evident in every frame. How could I not love something as heartfelt and Halloween-candy-sweet as this? It will be a Halloween staple for years to come. Children are going to love this film. It's spooky, just the right amount of scary, and its heart is truly in the right place. The production design! I was dying. I was eating that shit up. The house! The pumpkins! The tiny minute details on the books, the creepy dolls, Lewis' bedroom with the murals of moons, all the clocks, the costumes! Love after love after love.
Read MoreDon't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
Hardship and Humor: A Look at the Life of Cartoonist John Callahan
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black
Running time 1 hour 53 minutes
MPAA rating: R for language throughout, sexual content, some nudity and alcohol abuse
by Stacey Osbeck
Usually a writer-director feels an obligation to his audience, to deliver on the feel good. With Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot it appears Gus Van Sant felt no responsibility to anyone except the late cartoonist, John Callahan, to tell his story genuinely, which lends itself to a very different moviegoing experience.