Category: Drama
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50/50 has heart, humor and a healthy outlook on life
50/50 – 2011 Directed by Jonathan Levine Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Houston, Bryce Dallas Howard, Serge Houde, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall Written by Will Reiser 50/50 is a story of based upon writer Will Reiser’s bout with cancer, but it accomplishes more than that. As Adam Lerner (Levitt) journeys through his…
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Forgotten Gem: Exotica – Ballad of the sad strip joint
Exotica – 1994 Written and Directed by Atom Egoyan Starring Mia Kirshner, Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Sarah Polley, Victor Garber, Arsinée Khanjian, Don McKellar “Love The made love in the mountains, they made love in the streams, They made love in the valleys, they made love in their dreams. But when they were finished there was nothing to…
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Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part I: Watching Grown Men Cry
Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 – 2011 Directed by Bill Condon Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellen Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Anna Kendrick, Sarah Clarke Written by Melissa Rosenberg based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer There is a point after Bella (Stewart) has…
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Anonymous: Hey, is that Bill Shakespeare over there?
Anonymous – 2011 Directed by Roland Emmerich Starring Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Xavier Samuel, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, Edward Hogg, Jamie Campbell Bower Written by John Orloff I’ve never been a fan of Shakespeare. It was hoisted upon my unsuspecting and inexperienced childhood in such a way as to feel like…
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A Better Life: Bichir gives the kind of performance that opens doors
A Better Life – 2011 Directed by Chris Weitz Starring Demian Bichir, José Julián, Carlos Linares, Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, Joaquín Cosio, Nancy Lenehan Written by Eric Eason A man looking for work waits for cars to slow down, looking for workers. By mid day, it is just him and another person, who offers him a bite to eat. Within two…
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Atlas Shrugged, Part 1: …Paved with good intentions
Atlas Shrugged, Part 1 – 2011 Directed by Paul Johansson Starring Taylor Schilling, Grant Bowler, Matthew Mardsen, Graham Beckel, Edi Gathegi, Jsu Garcia, Michael Lerner, Michael O’Keefe, Patrick Fischler, Jon Polito Written by John Aglialoro, Brian Patrick O’Toole[ based on the novel by Ayn Rand A few years back, when I found that they were making a…
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The Ides of March: Guess what – Campaigns are dirty as politics are
The Ides of March – 2011 Directed by George Clooney Starring Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Jennifer Ehle Written by Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willmon, based on Farragut North by Beau Willmon Back in the late 80’s, in the Washington primary for the Republicans, a…
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Margin Call: It wasn’t brains that got me here, I assure you that
Margin Call – 2011 Written and Directed by J.C. Chandor Starring Zachary Quinto, Paul Bettany, Penn Badgley, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Stanley Tucci, Mary McDonnell, Aasif Mandvi What can one say when a movie starts off by laying off 86% of a floor and that is seen as a minor issue…
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Straw Dogs is scenic, tense and illogical
Straw Dogs – 2011 Written and Directed by Rod Lurie based on the film by Sam Peckinpah Starring James Mardsen, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård, James Woods, Dominic Purcell, Laz Alonso, Willa Holland, Walton Goggins, Rhys Coiro “She was askin’ for it,” one of the most controversial statements in Western Civilization, seems the rallying cry for the…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 