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2000 Eyes, by Robert Horton, Film Reviews

2000 Eyes: Charlie’s Angels

Written by Robert Horton July 13, 2020July 14, 2020 Leave a Comment

[Written for Film.com]

The development of the MTV style has brought us to Armageddon (a two-and-a-half-hour coming attractions trailer for itself) and The Cell (corrupt visual extravagance), so it is very tempting for critics to despair over the kudzu-like growth of this moviemaking approach. On the other hand, the world of music video also planted the seeds of Seven and Being John Malkovich, so it is not entirely a dead end. And now it has brought us to Charlie’s Angels.

2000 Eyes: Charlie’s Angels

Written by Sean Axmaker July 13, 2020July 14, 2020 Leave a Comment

[Written for Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

“Not another movie from an old TV show,” moans an airline passenger in the opening scene of Charlie’s Angels as T.J. Hooker: The Movie flashes on the screen as the inflight movie. It’s a cute bit of self-deprecating humor, but this is one sentiment that backfires.

Film Review: ‘Annie’

Written by Robert Horton December 18, 2014

Cameron Diaz, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Nicolette Pierini

Musical-theater purists can be almost as fussy as Star Wars fanatics, so expect a certain amount of kvetching over the new adaptation of Annie (previously filmed in ’82). The beloved 1977 Broadway show gets a thorough reworking, with rewritten lyrics, funked-up music, and a time-shift to the present day. (The comic-inspired original was a Depression-era fable, complete with cameo by Franklin Roosevelt.) Though it’s going to get lambasted, this new Annie is actually kind of fun on its own terms, with a rapid-fire pace and actors who aren’t afraid to be silly.

The role of Annie usually goes to girls who sound as though they’ve swallowed Ethel Merman’s trumpet, but here the part is played by soft-voiced Quvenzhané Wallis, the kid from Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Continue reading at Seattle Weekly

by Robert Horton, Contributors, Film Reviews

Film Review: ‘The Other Woman’

Written by Robert Horton April 25, 2014

Leslie Mann, Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton

Although officially top-lined by Cameron Diaz, The Other Woman is actually an outrageous instance of highway robbery perpetrated by co-star Leslie Mann. With antic energy that borders on the demented, Mann grabs whatever acreage is available at any given moment and starts swinging around with a giant slapstick.

It may be the scorched-earth approach to comedy, but it is funny, especially in the early going. Until its already far-fetched plot crosses the line into out-and-out sadism and too many girl-power high-fives, the film definitely conjures up some laughs.

Continue reading at The Herald