Posted July 03, 2013in Film Review
“Man of Steel” 3 stars PG-13 143 minutes Action Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon Man of Steel delivers a fresh approach to the shop-worn Origin of Superman narrative (originally published in 1938). Alas, fresh is not enough. State-of-the-art special effects are deployed to deliver the double theme of
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Posted June 26, 2013in Film Review
“White House Down” 1 star PG-13 137 minutes Action Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal Copycat redundancies to the recent “Olympus Has Fallen” aside, “White House Down” is an unintentionally laughable action movie that wallows involuntary cynicism about how America — or screenwriter James Vanderbilt at least — views
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Posted June 19, 2013in Film Review
“Maniac” 2 stars Not Rated 89 minutes Horror Starring: Elijah Wood, America Olivo, Liane Balaban An irredeemable exploitation horror movie that overplays its subjective point-of-view conceit, “Maniac” will leave viewers cold. A by-committee screenplay, contributed to by Alexandre Aja (“High Tension”), updates William Lustig’s ’80s cult horror classic by the
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Posted June 12, 2013in Film Review
“Much Ado About Nothing” 2 stars Rated PG-13 109 minutes Comedy Starring: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Fran Kranz Josh Whedon’s sophomoric attempt at swimming in Kenneth Brannagh’s waters of expertise — namely adapting Shakespeare plays to film — is akin to watching a wet cat lick itself dry. Curiosity succumbs
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Posted June 05, 2013in Film Review
“The Kings of Summer” 2 stars Rated R 93 minutes Comedy Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias Coming on the heels of Jeff Nichols’ superior Huckleberry Finn-styled boys’ coming-of-age movie “Mud,” “The Kings of Summer” reaches farther into the realm of fantasy, but comes up short. Hipster director Jordan
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Posted May 29, 2013in Film Review
“The Great Gatsby” 0 stars Rated PG-13 143 minutes Drama Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire Baz Luhrmann’s bastardization of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is a demeaning travesty. This film represents a sin against cinema and literature of cataclysmic proportions. Toxic rather than intoxicating, the movie breaks a fundamental
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Posted May 22, 2013in Film Review
‘The Angels’ Share’ 4/5 stars Director – Ken Loach Writer – Paul Laverty Cast – Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggings and William Ruane Life does not hand out second chances often, and when those lucky enough to be given the opportunity squander it, do they really deserve
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Posted May 22, 2013in Film Review
“Star Trek Into Darkness” 3 stars Rated PG-13 123 minutes Action Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana “Star Trek Into Darkness” is a lot of movie. It gets personalities and dialogue right, but lets gigantic plot problems slide around like ocean-bound rubber duckies on an oil slick. The tremendous
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Posted May 15, 2013in Film Review
“Sightseers” 4 stars Rated R 88 minutes Comedy Starring: Alice Lowe, Eileen Davies, Steve Oram Blacker than the La Brea Tar Pits, director Ben Wheatley’s dark comedy about a couple of serial killer lovebirds is an exquisitely funny movie. Wheatley, the director of British crime dramas “Down Terrace” (2009) and
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Posted May 08, 2013in Film Review
“Kiss of the Damned” 3 Stars Rated R 97 minutes Drama Starring: Joséphine de La Baume, Milo Ventimiglia ,Roxane Mesquida Vampires are by definition a retro construct. Living forever means always looking back. The future is merely a continuing cycle of corruption and death. Flesh-and-blood is the only reliable thing
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