Movie Reviews
(This review was originally published on April 13, 2012 at Reel Film News) If “The Cabin in the Woods” sounds like a generic title, it’s only because co-writers Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon wish to stress the gleeful irony of their material. The film, which might be considered both a sympathetic wink to starving horror […]
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(This review was originally published on April 6, 2012 at Reel Film News) When “American Pie” was released in 1999, it revamped a genre that was being suffocated by watered-down, PG-13 box office fluff. It was, in a sense, a throwback to the comedies of the ‘70s and ‘80s when “Animal House” and “Porky’s” were the […]
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(This review was originally published on March 23, 2012 at Reel Film News) First-time feature director David Gelb finds modesty and discipline in his documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”, a glimpse at the life of 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, proprietor of a renowned ten-seat sushi bar that is tucked unassumingly in the bustling underground of […]
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(This review was originally published on March 23, 2012 at Reel Film News) It’s been a while since I’ve had difficulty containing my excitement after watching an action flick. It’s been even longer since a movie has delivered tenfold on the promise of its trailer. “The Raid:Redemption”, a movie for which I might need to create […]
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(This review was originally published on March 16, 2012 at Reel Film News) It’s tough to dislike a film that promotes a genuine faith in humanity, especially as seldom as that type comes around these days. Such is the case with “Jeff, Who Lives at Home”, a breath of fresh air for those embittered souls […]
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(This review was originally published on February 24, 2012 at Reel Film News) “Goon” will be a cult classic, I just know it. Like “Over the Top”, or films like “Men at Work”, people will watch this thing repeatedly when it comes out on DVD, recite it like “Super Troopers”, and re-enact it like “Fight Club”.
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(This review was originally published on February 24, 2012 at Reel Film News) “Rampart” is familiar territory for novelist/screenwriter James Ellroy, whose version of Los Angeles has seen its share of corrupt cops (“Street Kings”, “Dark Blue” and “L.A. Confidential”). Director and co-writer Oren Moverman takes a surprisingly subtle tack in conveying the ugliness of the material, […]
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(This review was originally published on February 17, 2012 at Reel Film News) ‘A place calling itself Rome’ looks a lot more like war-torn Serbia in “Coriolanus”, Ralph Fiennes’ version of the politically charged Shakespeare tragedy. Not as much an update of the play as an application of the script to a more relatable era […]
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(This review was originally published on February 10, 2012 at Reel Film News) “You know what they say,” says Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) at some point during the rambling drama “W.E.”. “Expectations lead to disappointment.” Luckily my level of anticipation was in neutral going into the film; only a few lines of dialogue are delivered with […]
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(This review was originally published on February 3, 2012 at Reel Film News) The protagonist is a tricky role to identify in the complicated, often cruel world of post-adolescence. Such is the case in “Chronicle”, a film that consolidates several of the oddball sub-genres that have emerged in the past few decades. The basis is the […]
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