Posted on December 15, 2010 by admin
I Capture the Castle (2003) Romola Garai stars in I Capture the Castle It has all the elements of a fantastic film — an all-star cast, fabulous production design, a gorgeous score (from Dario Marianelli) and a script based on a book by famed author Dodie Smith (she also wrote 101 Dalmatians). Told from the…
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Posted on November 7, 2010 by admin
Robert Redford is usually an immaculate storyteller but this film was far too caught up in political history lessons to really find an emotional center. The story is an engaging one. Sadly the screenwriter is no better than the writer of the book Manhunt. The research writer managed to make the 12-day chase for Lincoln’s assassins…
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Posted on October 31, 2010 by admin
Do not bother to see this movie. If you want to know why, read on. If not, I don’t blame you. I don’t want to revisit it either. Darren Aronofsky revitalized his career, along with Mickey Rourke’s, with The Wrestler. This film relies on many of the same themes, mainly an examination of a human’s willingness…
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Posted on June 19, 2010 by admin
Remakes, in general, are a bad idea… and this was a remake of a B-film. Perhaps Universal, the owners of the franchise, were looking for a way to extend their copyright on their classic horror film. The shoot itself seemed to be cursed with uncomfortable costumes, short-tempered actors, alternate endings and multiple rewrites. Of course…
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Posted on April 12, 2010 by admin
Where that was decidedly dark and broody, The Dark Corner is a classic private detective noir. It isn't the fast-talking slapstick of a Thin Man, it is more fast-paced and light than, say, The Big Sleep. And very well-written.
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Posted on March 30, 2010 by admin
I put off writing this one for a few reasons. In fact, it may be too late to influence anyone, but the irritation I felt still lingers. Burton did Alice a disservice. There I said it. I wanted to like it, I really did. I had been excited to see it from the day I…
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Posted on December 30, 2009 by admin
I grew up on Sherlock, quite literally. I grabbed my dad’s heavy volumes and looked at the original Strand etchings even before I could read the complicated stories. And Jeremy Brett IS Sherlock Holmes. Doyle himself couldn’t have a qualm with that casting. So I was initially thrilled when I heard of the pairing of Robert…
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Posted on November 29, 2009 by admin
I truly wish the TV commercial for this movie did not tout it as being the “from director of Juno.” That is selling it short. Or worse. Juno was self-conscious in almost every aspect. Up In The Air, however, is anything but that. It is fresh, funny and touching — and probably marks (I hope)…
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Posted on November 13, 2009 by admin
Like most of America, I first became aware of Michael Cera with the all-too-short-lived comedy Arrested Development. Since his stint as the awkward George Michael Bluth, he has branched out to playing a slightly older but still awkward teenager looking to find his way in the adult world. Youth in Revolt is a similar picture.…
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Posted on November 4, 2009 by admin
Seriously. They actually do. This title is not a metaphor. Like The Informant!, though less subtle, the film is adapted from a book by Jon Ronson, which is supposedly a collection of mostly true stories, and instead of saying “Based on a True Story” the opening credit leads with “More of this is true than…
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Posted on November 4, 2009 by admin
The Brits have a love/hate obsession with their royals that is still somewhat a mystery to Americans. We have our celebrities that we love to hate but rarely, if ever, do we follow their story from birth to death. The young princes William and Harry have been speculated about since before they were born. For…
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Posted on September 23, 2009 by admin
Based on a memoir/novel/autobiography of a whistleblower at a large chemical company, The Informant! is a quirky comedy that avoids the pitfalls of most similarly-tilted films. Matt Damon plays the protagonist, Mark Whitacre, an uncomfortable chemist at Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM). He is working to solve a problem with one of their components when he stumbles upon…
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Posted on September 6, 2009 by admin
Quentin Tarantino‘s most recent outing is, well, Tarantino. He was both writer and director for this one and it is entirely referential of something else, but never anything original. Some think this makes him genius. Most find this to be proof that he is actually incapable of entirely creative thought and devoid of the ability…
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Posted on September 5, 2009 by admin
This silly movie is pretty much what you expect from it. James Brolin owns a used car lot but is having trouble moving the merchandise. He brings in a team of ringers to help his clear the stock. Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, David Koechner, and Kathryn Hahn round out the cast of itinerant hucksters. There is…
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Posted on July 6, 2009 by admin
What was Michael Mann thinking? He had a great story, good actors, a budget and the interest of the audience — but he squandered it with confusing storytelling, an underused cast, and strange cinematography. It all added up to a jolty, disjunct, and uncomfortable film. Johnny Depp plays the charming bank robber John Dillinger who…
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