'The To Do List' Review

The To Do List has one really good thing going for it, and that's Aubrey Plaza in the lead. As for the movie as a whole? Well, my IFC Fix review gets into that.

What Happened With 'R.I.P.D.'?

"Because I like him so much and want only good things for him, I wish Ryan Reynolds would start choosing better movies to be in -- or at least be a little more selective." Thus began a comment from a friend of mine about R.I.P.D., the action-comedy that tanked over the weekend. I agree 150 percent: He's a funny, likeable guy who can't seem to stumble into a good movie. (It's like Channing Tatum stole the career he should have had.) For IFC Fix, my latest Bomb Squad column tries to get to the bottom of why R.I.P.D. failed so spectacularly at the box office. Here's what I came up with.

Your July Comedy Options

For IFC Fix, I preview the movie comedies opening in July. Of the 11 films I spotlight, four are sequels. 'Tis the season, I suppose.

Apocalyptic Comedies

In honor of This Is the End, I started thinking about other movies that make light of the end of the world. Stanley Kubrick made one such movie, and Bill Murray has starred in a couple of 'em. You can read my findings at IFC Fix.

Your June Comedy Options

For IFC Fix, I'm starting a column where I do a quick, service-y rundown of each month's film comedies. In June, you've got everything from This Is the End to Much Ado About Nothing to I'm So Excited! I even tell you a little something about a film called Syrup. Here's this month's column.

'The Kings of Summer' Review

At this year's Sundance, I didn't get a chance to see Toy's House, but I heard pretty positive things about it. Now renamed The Kings of Summer, the indie teen comedy opens today in limited release. It's pretty forgettable, despite its general warmth and some nice comic moments. I reviewed the film for IFC Fix.

What Happened With 'Peeples'?

Anybody who's a fan of Craig Robinson no doubt hopes to see more of the guy, not less. But box office bombs like Peeples aren't going to help his upward climb. For IFC Fix, I devote my Bomb Squad column to this misfire, trying to figure out why people stayed away in droves. You can read my theories here.

What Happened With 'Scary Movie 5'?

For my "Bomb Squad" column over at IFC Fix, I look at the box office disappointment of Scary Movie 5. The obvious answer for why the movie failed is, "Hey, these movies stink -- that's why." But, as I argue in my piece, artistic feebleness has nothing to do with it. Not one of these movies has gotten good reviews, and yet three of the four previous installments grossed over $90 million. So why did audiences suddenly decide now that they weren't interested in this franchise? I try to explain why here.

(Update: You can now read this piece here.) 

What's the Best 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch of All Time?

IFC has been putting together a bracket over the last month that pits all the best Saturday Night Live sketches against one another. They were kind enough to have me weigh in on the championship round, which is between "Wayne's World" and "More Cowbell." These sorts of brackets are just meant to be fun but, because I'm me, I spent a lot of time debating which of these should be the winner. You can read my verdict here.

What's Eddie Murphy's Best 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch?

IFC Fix is currently doing a bracket for all-time best Saturday Night Live sketches. Today, I size up a pairing between two Eddie Murphy bits. This was fun to write. Hope you enjoy.

What Happened With 'Admission'?

We've had back-to-back weeks with comedy bombs at the box office. First, it was The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Now, it's Admission, which I think is underrated. Regardless, for IFC Fix, I did another of my Bomb Squad columns, figuring out why people weren't interested in this Tina Fey film. You can read my conclusions here.

What Happened With 'Burt Wonderstone'?

For IFC Fix, I'm going to start doing an occasional column called "Bomb Squad" where I try to figure out why a recent film tanked at the box office. For the inaugural column, I take a look at The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which, you may remember, I actually sorta like. My IFC Fix piece is here.

Goodbye, Oscar Season

This is my final column about the Academy Awards for this year, I swear. For IFC Fix, I list five good things about this Oscar season that has, mercifully, ended after five months. For whatever reason, this year it really took it out of me. Still, it wasn't all bad. Enjoy.

Why I Love Dwayne Johnson

The man who once went by "The Rock" is starring in Snitch this Friday. I haven't seen it yet, but I remain optimistic. Why? What has Dwayne Johnson ever done to reward such faith? I examine that in this week's IFC Fix column.

'Die Hard' at 25

When I was working on FilmCraft: Screenwriting -- my new book of interviews with the world's best film writers -- I was very happy to get to speak to Mark Bomback, an action-thriller writer who wrote Live Free or Die Hard. Action writers in general don't get much respect, so I was doubly pleased to include his voice in my book. One of the things we discussed was what made the original Die Hard so great; his enthusiasm and insight reminded me all over again what a fantastic movie that is. With A Good Day to Die Hard about to come out, I decided to write about the old Die Hard, which opened in the summer of 1988. Can it really have been 25 years? Yup. My piece is up at IFC Fix.

On the Great Steven Soderbergh

For years, Steven Soderbergh insisted he'd be retiring from filmmaking when he turned 50, and for years, I didn't believe him. Well, he turned 50 last month, and he's still very serious about hanging it up. With Side Effects coming out on Friday, I wanted to write a little something about his legacy. My piece is up at IFC Fix.

(Also, as an added bonus, here's a photo of Soderbergh that accompanied a Rolling Stone profile from 1989. I'm not even sure what to say about this.)

Welcome Back, Arnold Schwarzenegger

I haven't seen The Last Stand -- and probably won't be able to until after Sundance -- but for IFC Fix today, I wrote about the uniqueness of Arnold Schwarzenegger's comeback bid. Unlike, say, Mel Gibson, he never fell out of favor: He was just busy being the governor of California. My piece is live now.

My Oscar Wishlist

The Academy Award nominations, taking a break from tradition, are going to be announced on Thursday, rather than the usual Tuesday. For IFC Fix, I wrote about the movies and performances that I wish would get a nomination, even though I realize they don't have a chance. Oh well, a man can dream.

2012 in Review: The Year's Best Movie Moments

For IFC Fix, I decided to put together a list of every great moment from a 2012 film I could recall. As a result, the final product may seem a little haphazard and random but, at least in my brain, it's a highlight reel of what the year was like at the movies. I keep saying over and over again what a great movie year this was. (Everyone's saying it.) But reading back through my list, well, seriously, wow. (And, by the way, notice how many of my moments reference dancing. What can I say: Even a mediocre movie will be elevated in my mind by some good moves.)

2012 in Review: The Small Gems You May Have Missed

2012 simply had too many great movies. (My Top 10 ballot had to be narrowed down from a pretty excellent list of 13 contenders.) For IFC Fix, I decided to single out five movies that have hardly been part of the critical or Oscar discussion this year. They're all worth seeing.