A Haunted House
A Los Angeles suburbanite (Marlon Wayans) is thrilled that his girlfriend (Essence Atkins) is moving in with him, but gets more than he bargained for when she appears to bring a ghost along with her. Written by Wayans and Rick Alvarez and (allegedly) directed by Michael Tiddes, this parody of found-video horror flicks has a few scattered laughs, but it's missing one essential ingredient: somebody to tell Marlon Wayans when he isn't being funny. Scenes that might have been good for a chuckle go on and on, as if Tiddes had left the camera running while he stepped out for a smoke. Wayans has real (if undisciplined) talent, and Atkins has a nice comic edge, but the most reliable laugh-getter is Cedric the Entertainer as a phony minister spouting “scripture” cribbed from Samuel L. Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction.
More Film » Short Reviews
The Last Stand
He's back, but Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to film is just meh.
Published on 01.24.13
Broken City
Mark Walhberg does that Mark Wahlberg thing in this run-of-the-mill mean-streets flick.
Published on 01.24.13
Zero Dark Thirty
Neither an Obama re-election commercial nor an apology for torture, Kathryn Bigelow has made what's basically a very good—if opportunistic—movie.
Published on 01.17.13