Email Author Nick Pinkerton

2012 Stories by Nick Pinkerton

• "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" is a Demonic Dud

  published February 22, 2012

  Nicolas Cage makes erratic, frequently indefensible decisions: in his personal finances, in front of the camera, and especially in guiding his... More >>

• "Act Of Valor": Recruits Adrenaline Junkies Everywhere

  published February 22, 2012

  Act of Valor is, according to the opening titles, "based on real acts of valor," whatever that means. It does star real active-duty Navy... More >>

• "Wanderlust": Hollywood Menagerie Keeps Film Fresh

  published February 22, 2012

  "There's no one way to live our lives," hopes the displaced, adrift couple at the center of Wanderlust. Shopping between the prefab... More >>

• "Khodorkovsky": A Compassionate Portrait of a Prisoner

  published February 22, 2012

  "In all my human rights work, this is the first time I've defended a capitalist," says a Hague lawyer of the unlikeliest of political martyrs,... More >>

• "Roadie": Ron Eldard Channels His Inner Adolescent

  published February 22, 2012

  Belonging to the same coming-home-and-taking-stock subgenre as Young Adult, Roadie draws similar pessimistic conclusions about... More >>

• "This Means War": Explodes Shallow Predictability

  published February 15, 2012

  Hostilities in This Means War are declared as two workmates compete for the affection of the same woman. The contested objective is... More >>

• "The Vow": Love Story Moves Despite Cliches

  published February 8, 2012

  A young married couple, Leo and Paige (Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams), are rear-ended on a snowy Chicago night. He's all right, but she comes... More >>

• "The Innkeepers": A Simple Approach to Supernatural Terror

  published February 1, 2012

  Horror movies are lately given to gluttonous effects, but director Ti West (The House of the Devil) is a rare minimalist. His latest,... More >>

• "Haywire": Soderbergh and His MMA Star Make an Impact

  published January 18, 2012

  Haywire's plot is boilerplate triple-cross, cloak-and-dagger stuff — but the action choreography by director Steven Soderbergh and... More >>

• "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close": Bald Eagles Are Weeping

  published January 18, 2012

  Director Stephen Daldry has never met a Big Theme he didn't like: After 2002's The Hours, a lugubrious women's-problem picture touching... More >>