Author: coolpapae
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Joy (****) – Norma Rae can stuff it
Joy – 2015 Written and Directed by David O. Russell Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Bradley Cooper, Elisabeth Röhm, Dascha Polanco If there is a special ability portrayed by the actors and director of Joy, it’s that none of this feels that much like a movie. This half-fiction portrayal of the life of the creator…
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The Big Short (****) counts on us not liking bad news
The Big Short – 2015 Director Adam McKay Screenplay Charles Randolph and McKay Starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Tracy Letts, Hamish Linklater, John Magaro, Byron Mann, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Finn Wittrock, Melissa Leo There are a whole bunch of facts being spit out in The Big Short. Director and writer…
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Sicario (****1/2): The depth of darkness
Villeneuve is one of the best directors alive. He his streak is 3 near-classics and counting. His sensibility is one of quiet observation. He allows the viewer to draw his own conclusions on what they are seeing, without pushing even subtly in any direction.
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The Revenant (***1/2): It’s mostly true…mostly
It would be one thing if the story played a little closer to Hang ‘Em High and a bit less artificially constructed as A Beautiful Mind. The Academy never gave any awards to the first movie, though. The original Glass just wanted his gun back from Fitzgerald. DiCaprio’s Glass has to have a victim-class son…
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The Hateful Eight (Roadshow Edition) ****1/2 is a study of balance
The Hateful Eight – 2015 Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Lee Horsley, Zoë Bell, James Park, Gene Jones, Dana Gourrier That actors save their best performances for Quentin Tarantino is certainly not a surprise. That he continues to pull new good actors from the fringes…
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (***1/2) There’s always another weapon
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Director J.J. Abrams Starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max von Sydow, Gwendoline Christie Screenplay by Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt Everyone wants Star Wars to succeed. Heck if I had never seen the first film (Episode IV) at age 7, this blog wouldn’t…
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Vacation (**) is not fun for anyone
Vacation – 2015 Written and Directed by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley Starring Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo, Steele Stebbins, Leslie Mann, Beverly D’Angelo, Chris Hemsworth, Chevy Chase The original Vacation was a work of the upwardly mobile talent of Harold Ramis and John Hughes. It also featured perhaps the last performance of Chevy Chase before it all started going downhill. It’s a…
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Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (**1/2): Doesn’t try real hard
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse – 2015 Director Christopher B. Landon Starring Tye Sheridan, David Koechner, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont, Halston Sage, Cloris Leachman, Niki Koss, Patrick Schwarzenegger Screenplay Carrie Evans, Emi Mochizuki, Christopher B. Landon Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse tries to be smart. It tries to have heart. But not that hard. Its mission…
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Creed (****): One step at a time, one round at a time…
Creed – 2015 Director Ryan Coogler Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashād, Tony Bellew, Graham McTavish Screenplay Coogler, Aaron Covington, Stallone As a tribute to a classic series, Ryan Coogler could not have taken a better angle. The thought of Rocky’s kid taking the throne was mercifully left in the garbage bin of history with the last proper entry in the…
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American Ultra (***): Stoned Identity
American Ultra – 2015 Director Nima Nourizadeh Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, Tony Hale Screenplay Max Landis One of the least appealing aspects about Pulp Fiction is the way Tarantino cuts the legs off the ending about halfway through the film. Seeing that Vincent and Marsellus arrive in tact and uninjured from their…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 