Hot Tub Time Machine (Movie Review)
03.25.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated 2026
In 2026, when nostalgia comedy is everywhere, Hot Tub Time Machine is a reminder that a great premise still needs enough jokes to justify the trip back.
03.25.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated 2026
In 2026, when nostalgia comedy is everywhere, Hot Tub Time Machine is a reminder that a great premise still needs enough jokes to justify the trip back.
03.21.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated 2026
In 2026, when space images arrive constantly on our phones, IMAX: Hubble 3D still matters as a reminder that scale can feel spiritual when cinema makes you look up.
03.20.2010 | By Jack Rico |
‘City Island’ is one of the more charming comedies to come out in a very long time and thus far this 2010. It is a magnetically crafted indie comedy that provides jokes worth laughing at and charming characters worth liking. It’s a feel-good movie that is sure to satisfy your every need at the movies. You really wont’ regret it.
Prison guard Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a prison guard, but has one secret no one knows about. A closet actor, he lies to his lovely wife, Joyce (Julianna Margulies), about going to poker games when he’s really traveling into the city to attend an acting class presided over by the Michael Malakov (Alan Arkin). Joyce, recognizing her husband isn’t being truthful, suspects he’s having an affair. But Vince has an even bigger secret: a newly paroled prisoner (Steven Strait) who has been offered lodging on his property, isn’t just some random ex-con; he’s Vince’s son. No one knows this except Vince and Molly (Emily Mortimer), his partner at the acting class. Vince isn’t the only one with secrets. His son, Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller), has a fetish for fat women. His daughter, Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido), works as a stripper.
Cuban actor Andy Garcia dishes out some of his best comedic moments here and it is truly enjoyable to watch. He has not been a part of many talked about movies the last few years, but just like Robert De Niro in ‘Everybody’s Fine,’ Garcia has once again found his form. His timing, delivery, his expressions, the nuances and reactions, it all works here. The rest of the cast are wonderfully charming. They manage to compliment Garcia without a problem.
Are there any problems with the film? Perhaps, but they’re so minimal that you won’t notice them. I barely did. City Island is a fantastic, pleasurable experience, one that I recommend highly!
03.19.2010 | By Jack Rico |
The first hour of the new futuristic action film Repo Men, one of the most violent and bloody films I’ve seen since Ninja Assassins, is a slow, gouge-your-eye experience that has you asking for a refund. But the second hour really picks up and it is where the true entertainment value of the film lies. The story is very compelling tied with a dose of dark comedy, but the dialogue is vacuous and there were some major miscasting calls with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker.
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03.18.2010 | By Namreta Kumar |
Unfortunately Diary of a Wimpy Kid does not make nearly as strong of an impact as the books do. The film never seems to capture the same charm, although it does have some reminiscent moments. Read More
03.12.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated 2026
In 2026, when political thrillers are judged against real distrust of institutions, Green Zone still plays like a Bourne-adjacent war film with more urgency than depth.
03.11.2010 | By Namreta Kumar |
She’s Out of My League is quite possibly the best romantic-comedy out, thus far, this year. The best part about this bromance is that it is equally a chick-flick. Read More
03.11.2010 | By Karen Posada |
‘Remember Me’ does a fine job at making you part of it without you realizing it. If you are into romantic dramas you are going to love it, it is more than just romance though, the importance of family is felt strongly as well. The plot is made up of love and loss and the sense that we have to ‘live in the moments’ because we don’t know when our last day on Earth will be. It is your typical boy-meets-girl story but with a sense of reality in it and a twist of faith.
Our main character Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) is a troubled soul, who feels completely helpless, he wants to be a hero or a voice to those that need it, like his younger sister Caroline (Ruby Jerins). He had a privileged life growing up, but now wants to make it on his own, away from his workaholic father (Pierce Brosnan); who doesn’t expect anything good out of him. With his poetic boy looks and the sadness he has about him, he has a way with the ladies. His roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington) convinces Tyler to date the daughter of a police officer (Chris Cooper), to spite him for arresting them one night. Tyler has no problem sweeping Ally Craig (Emilie de Ravin) off her feet. Tyler gets lost in his own game and ends up falling for Ally’s quirky personality. She has the ability to show him through their connection by their troubled pasts, that he can live again despite of all the pain he’s felt. She brings out the best in him.
The love connection here is strong; Pattinson and de Ravin make the romance as well as their life stories very real to the audience. It’s hard not to fall in love with Pattinson in this film; he is the typical artsy passionate guy every girl would want. The quarrels among characters, especially “the big fight” between the couple is a bit ridiculous. The script tries to create drama where there really isn’t. Admittedly the ending is the strongest part of the movie, the filmmakers took a cheap shot at the audience, but it is the reason for the ½ star. It is a cheap shot that works, without it the movie wouldn’t have an impact and it would be easy to forget. We are given subtle hints about the ending throughout the whole movie but we only connect the dots when we arrive to it, it is what will make the audience feel a stronger connection to the story.
I definitely recommend it to the hopeless romantics; it will touch your hearts and leave you a little depressed. You are left with the sense that we do need to cherish every moment and live as if today was our last day.
03.5.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated December 2025
Brooklyn’s Finest is a very good film that brings together some wonderfully gritty acting, an engrossing storyline and a riveting ending. There are some twists that you’ll enjoy and overall it’ll remind you of films such as Crash and Serpico.
03.3.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated 2026
In 2026, after years of live-action remakes and nostalgia-driven IP, Alice in Wonderland feels like an early example of spectacle trying to distract from a thin story.
