Author: coolpapae
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Big Eyes (***) – It’s just a bunch of one big lie
Big Eyes – 2014 Director Tim Burton Starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Jon Polito, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Terence Stamp, Delaney Raye, Madeleine Arthur Screenplay Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski The more you lie, the smaller you seem. Slogging through Tim Burton films has felt like work ever since the first time I watched Edward Scissorhands. Riding the wave of the success of…
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Let’s Be Cops (***) football against little kids
I may never watch this film again, but I will not soon forget the image of Ryan driving his police cruiser, lights blaring, onto a field where kids are playing ball just to prove to them that he had a day job. Nor will I forget Justin getting the worst end of a wacked out…
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Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (***): Al Michaels’ Revenge
“The women that Cusack brought to the first film had no business coming back to this, especially without him there to pine over. What’s left is every guy who spent most of their time since their late teens playing video games, eating foods high in carbs and spending too many weekend nights with their male…
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Furious 7 (***1/2): Meatball Hallmark Card
Furious 7 – 2015 Director James Wan Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Kurt Russell, Jason Statham Screenplay Chris Morgan If one could sum up the entire Furious franchise in 3 phrases, it would be: I don’t have friends. I got family. I live life a quarter-mile at a time. One last ride. At this point,…
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Fifty Shades of Grey (***) attempts to level the playing field
Fifty Shades of Grey – 2015 Director Sam Taylor-Johnson Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Eloise Mumford, Victor Rasuk, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Max Martini, Callum Keith Rennie, Andrew Airlie, Dylan Neal, Marcia Gay Harden Screenplay Kelly Marcel based on the book by E.L. James After so many words stated both pro and con about the worthiness and value of this romance story disguised as a sex movie,…
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Oujia (**1/2): You made her play the game and now she’s dead
Ouija – 2014 Director Stiles White Starring Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca A. Santos, Lin Shaye, Shelley Hennig Screenplay Juliet Snowden and White For an actress that has been in so many Farrelly Brothers films, Lin Shaye is something of a staple in horror. In fact, she is to horror what Leslie Nielsen was to comedy. In this…
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Exodus Gods and Kings (****): Moses, Ramses II, God and his Angels
Exodus – Gods and Kings (2014) Directed by Ridley Scott Starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, María Valverde, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Andrew Tarbet, Isaac Andrews Screenplay Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian The prospect of a big budget film based on The Holy Bible is immediately deserving of skepticism these days. For some, like Aronofsky, use it to “explore…
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A Most Violent Year (****1/2) is a good story excellently told
A Most Violent Year – 2014 Written and Directed by J.C. Chandor Starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Albert Brooks A Most Violent Year is a fascinatingly simple story that underlines the strength of a man and all the things that contribute and detract from it. Oscar Isaac is Abel Morales, the owner of the small but thriving…
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Fury (***1/2) Rolls over familiar ground
Fury – 2014 Written and Directed by David Ayer Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, Scott Eastwood How to get a coward to fight late in the last days before VE Day? This is the question that Fury spends its time trying to answer. Pvt. Norman “Machine” Ellison (Lerman) is a young man with a “conscience” who…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 