Laura Leon

Pain Without Gain

by Laura Leon May 8, 2013

To say that the role of Iron Man fits Robert Downey Jr. like a glove is groan-worthy, but apt. How this actor, so nimble both physically and intellectually, uses his unique skill set to imbue ...

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Swamp Things

by Laura Leon May 1, 2013

In much the spirit of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Mud, a new movie written and directed by Jeff Nichols, explores the lives of its protagonists while limning a way of life lived ...

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There are compelling reasons to see The Place Beyond the Pines, and not just the fact that it was filmed in and around Schenectady. Chiefly, these are Ryan Gosling’s performance as a carnival stunt rider ...

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Super Soldiers

by Laura Leon April 10, 2013

Those of you who saw GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, take heart. Don’t be afraid. That sorry excuse of a movie based on a beloved Hasbro toy is in no way, shape or form ...

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It’s Academic

by Laura Leon March 28, 2013

With the hard-surface crackle and interior mushiness of some sort of overpriced gourmet candy, Admission promises wacky comedy, hints at cogent social satire, and delivers only a few chuckles and some nice moments between Tina ...

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With a Whimper

by Laura Leon March 13, 2013

That a movie based largely on the personality of larger-than-life Douglas MacArthur, who is played by legendary screen presence Tommy Lee Jones, could be so small is like finding out that the big man on ...

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Big Fun

by Laura Leon March 6, 2013

Hollywood keeps churning out modernist revisions of classic fairy tales, some better than others, while pundits declare the form dead in the water based on the lack of success of, say, Hansel & Gretel: Witch ...

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A Sort of Homecoming

by Laura Leon February 21, 2013

The Brick House, 425 Park St., Housatonic, Mass., (413) 274-0020, brickhousema.com. Serving dinner 4-9 Sun-Thu, 4-10 Fri-Sat; lunch from 11:30 Sat-Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: hearty pub fare Entrée price range: $10 (grilled cheese and fries ...

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Romance By Numbers

by Laura Leon February 20, 2013

A dark and stormy night. A scared young woman running desperately through the rain, seeking shelter even as her hand still grips a bloody knife. A fraught escape by bus to somewhere else, even as ...

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The Exceptional Ordinary

by Laura Leon February 14, 2013

The Skyline Diner, 314 Columbia St., Rensselaer, 434-0233. Serving breakfast, lunch and early dinner 7-3 daily. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: American diner fare Entrée price range: $4.49 (All American Hamburger) to $9.69 (Fried Haddock Dinner) Ambiance: unassuming ...

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Road to Ruin

by Laura Leon February 13, 2013

If the sight of a fat woman masturbating with a Waterpik or being spanked mid-coitus by a beefy cowboy-boots-wearing salesman sounds like your idea of classic comedy, Identify Theft is the film for you. If, ...

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Why Aren’t You Planning Your Next Dinner Party?

by Laura Leon February 7, 2013

When I was a teenager, my sister Pamela lived in a studio apartment in New York City. When her fiancé was out of town, I’d often visit for extended periods of time. I remember days ...

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Romeo and Juliet and Zombies

by Laura Leon February 6, 2013

Fans of The Walking Dead may criticize Warm Bodies for its light take on gore and mayhem, but they should appreciate that the movie, directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50) and based on the book by ...

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Fractured Fairy Tale

by Laura Leon January 31, 2013

Milking the cinematic gravy train that has become adult takes on Disneyfied fairy tales, Tommy Wirkola reboots the story of two abandoned children taken prisoner by a nearsighted witch with a penchant for tyke meat. ...

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Fragments of Intrigue

by Laura Leon January 23, 2013

With knowing, if at times pandering, nods to film noirs like The Big Sleep, Broken City offers up much in terms of atmosphere and characters, if not gripping narrative. Mark Wahlberg plays Billy Taggart, a ...

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