Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews

Category: Drama

  • The Book Thief: My ghost is still with you

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    The Book Thief – 2013 Director Brian Percival Actors Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Roger Allam, Barbara Auer Writer Michael Petroni based on the novel by Markus Zusak Narrator: One small fact: you are going to die. Despite every effort, no one lives forever. Sorry to be such a spoiler. My advice is when the time comes,…

  • The Kings of Summer is two jacks and a dunce

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    The Kings of Summer – 2013 Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts Actors Nick Robinson, Moisés Arias, Gabriel Basso, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally Writer Chris Galletta The intended strong point for The Kings of Summer is quirkiness that falls somewhere between Stand by Me and Napoleon Dynamite.  Taking the coming of age cliché and making it an extended camp out, the 3 erstwhile kings…

  • 12 Years a Slave: Real Real Gone

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    12 Years A Slave – 2013 Director Steve McQueen Actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard Writer John Ridley based on the book by Solomon Northup I have owned a copy of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ for 10 years, and have yet to watch the film.  In my heart, it is easy…

  • American Hustle: Like flowers, but with garbage

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    American Hustle – 2013 Director David O. Russell Starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence Screenplay Eric Warren Singer and Russell There is a feeling of barely restrained whimsy in the events of American Hustle.  Instead of being the kind of film that aspires to be truthful while embellishing the facts, Russell and co-writer Singer make the…

  • Nebraska: The best actor’s Forte.

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    Nebraska – 2013 Directed by Alexander Payne Starring Will Forte, Bruce Dern, June Squibb, Stacey Keach, Bob Odenkirk Screenplay Bob Nelson Bruce Dern has been in a lot of stuff.  He’s been pretty good, too.  My personal favorites are no-good Joe Danby in Support Your Local Sheriff and the brutal Asa Watts from The Cowboys.  His…

  • Fruitvale Station (***1/2) – All sales are final

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    Fruitvale Station – 2013 Written and Directed by Rylan Coogler Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand , Chad Michael Murray If the point of the movie is to show the value of a human life in the time frame of the last day, they had me at the moment Oscar Grant III (Jordan) first…

  • The Butler (***1/2) – Broad strokes don’t work as well as fine detail

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    The Butler – 2013 Directed by Lee Daniels Starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Terence Howard, David Oyelowo, Elijah Kelley, David Banner, Mariah Carey, Adriane Lenox, Yaya DaCosta, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Clarence Williams III, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Colman Domingo, Robin Williams, James DuMont, Robert Aberdeen, James Mardsen, Minka Kelly, Liev Schreiber. John Cusack, Alex Manette,…

  • Don Jon (****1/2): Consideration is the key

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    Don Jon – 2013 Written and Directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Rob Brown, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, Tony Danza There is a certain amount of irony in the fact that Brie Larson is featured in not only this film, but she is also a player in The Spectacular Now.  Each film features a man working through some…

  • The Spectacular Now (****)- Young, drunk and full of hope.

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    The Spectacular Now – 2013 Director James Ponsoldt Starring Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler, Bob Odenkirk, Andre Royer, Dayo Okeniyi, Kaitlyn Dever Screenplay Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber based on the book by Tim Tharp There is a time after Sutter and Aimee (Teller and Woodley) share a most intimate moment where she lays there and looks…

  • Gravity: Beautiful, if annoying

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    Gravity – 2013 Director Alfonso Cuarón Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris (voice) Screenplay Jonás and Alfonso Cuarón In the end, it’s not how long one lives, but the quality of life one lives.  The events that take place in the span of the film Gravity lends credence to that axiom.  If I were in the…