9 years ago
Reviews (10 posts found)
“Tammy” A Maddeningly Muddled and Inconsistent Star Vehicle for Melissa McCarthy
If there is one vexing problem at the core of American comedy in the 21st century worth talking about now--there's more than just one, of course--it's that too many actors, writers, and filmmakers are convinced that audiences will only accept sincere emotion i...
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“Nothing Bad Can Happen” Asks Deep Questions, But Remains Shallow
It isn’t any surprise that in first-time director Katrin Gebbe’s Nothing Bad Can Happen, anything bad that can happen, will. The film is a kind of endurance test, asking the viewer to witness a progressively more disturbing and more bleak cinematic world, all ...
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“Transformers: Age of Extinction” Represents The Antithesis of Fun
The tired-looking radio DJ looks at the equally tired audience, going through the motions of asking trivia questions so the people who've waited in line for hours to watch a movie about robots beating the tar out of each other and anything nearby can win a pri...
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“Yves Saint Laurent” An Expected Design Unworthy of Laurent’s Seal of Approval
I'm very glad to be one of those privileged viewers who have already seen both recent biopics about Yves Saint Laurent: Jalil Lespert's Yves Saint Laurent and Bertrand Bonello's Saint Laurent. This year's Cannes contender featuring androgynous and charismatic ...
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“The Pleasures Of Being Out Of Step” Misses A Beat Or Two
A record bathed in blue is spinning. The needle grazes overhead. It drops, and the scene is taken over by a blank black screen. A wilting jazz number plays over the unpainted canvas, and it’s the only thing to the audience has to grab onto in the darkened thea...
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“Snowpiercer” And the Eclectic Whiteness of the Eco-pocalyspse
Note. This review is based on the version screened during the 2014 Berlinale Film Festival.
Joon-ho Bong's The Host was delightfully eclectic, allowing gore and camp to swiftly mingle within a more traditional horror narrative frame. The Korean director's l...
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“Begin Again” Can’t Live Up To Its Musical Pedigree
"Don't compare it to Once, don't compare it to Once, don't compare it to Once, don't compare it to-"
Nope, can't do it. It's not fair, of course. The only thing Once and Begin Again share is writer/director John Carney. This film has an otherwise completely...
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“Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger” A Conflicted, Distracted New Crime Documentary
James "Whitey" Bulger is a very, very bad man; even with a title like Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger, this documentary doesn't intend to debate whether or not Bulger is guilty of the various crimes he's been accused of throughout the last ...
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“Think Like A Man Too” Should Have Stayed In Vegas
This comedy sequel is too tame to be much fun.
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“The Moment” Can’t Get Its Story Straight
Note. The Moment opens this weekend at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood. There will be Q&As with writer/director Jane Weinstock, producer Julia Eisenman, and producer Gloria Norris after the 7:30 p.m. shows on 6/20 and 6/21.
The Moment is one of th...
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