Category: Fantasy
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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (****)
Burton’s instincts are tempered here. He’s allowed the weirdness we normally get from him, but without any of the routine “no one understands how weird I want to be” normally pushed to the forefront. Having Green in the role normally reserved for Helena Bonham Carter infests certainly helps. Ultimately we get all of the benefits…
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The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (***1/2) – So it ends…
The Hobbit – The Battle of Five Armies Director Peter Jackson Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom, Aidan Turner, Billy Connolly, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Phillippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro based on the…
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Maleficent (***1/2) True love falls from trees
Maleficent – 2014 Director Robert Stromberg Starring Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville Screenplay by Linda Woolverton based on Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault While watching Angelia Jolie’s re-imagining of Maleficent, part of me is amazed at the myriad ways one is allowed to see beyond what is really Disney’s most incomplete Princess story..…
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Noah (**1/2)…Right?
Noah – 2014 Director Darren Aronofsky Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Anthony Hopkins, Douglas Booth, Leo McHugh , Frank Langella Screenplay Aranofsky and Ari Handel So the first thing about any movie is that it should be entertaining. As stated in the Bible, Noah’s story is open for a bit of interpenetration, in the same way…
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CPE, Em and El: The Princess Bride – As You Wish
The Princess Bride – 1987 Director Rob Reiner Starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, André the Giant, Christopher Guest, Fred Savage, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Mel Smith, Peter Cook, Peter Falk Screenplay William Goldman There may be no more perfect story told for the benefit of an entire family than The…
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Vampire Academy Action, Exposition, Action, Exposition vomit.
Vampire Academy – 2014 Director Mark Waters Starring Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, Gabriel Byrne, Dominic Sherwood, Joely Richardson, Olga Kurylenko, Sarah Hyland Screenplay by Daniel Waters based on the book by Richelle Mead There is a moment in the hyper-kinetic story Vampire Academy when, in the midst of some crucial exposition between the two protagonists, a crow flies…
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I, Frankenstein is not the dumbest movie of all time
I, Frankenstein – 2014 Director Stuart Beattie Starring Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Socratis Otto, Jai Courtney, Kevin Grevioux Screenplay Kevin Grevioux, Stuart Beattie Aaron Eckhart is a man capable of good acting. His performance in Erin Brockovich, In The Company of Men, Thank You for Smoking and The Dark Knight stand out with the best films in any career. He’s rarely been…
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Forgotten Gems: Phenomenon Dance with life
Phenomenon – 1996 Director John Turteltaub Starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall, Brent Spiner Screenplay Gerald Di Pego When one ponders the fate of the film Phenomenon, it really shows how much time has passed since its début in 1996. At the time it was a sizeable hit, never reaching #1 but certainly lingering in the top 10.…
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Opportunity Lost and Exhausted
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – 2013 Director Peter Jackson Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom, Aidan Turner Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Phillippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro based on the book The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien I can remember when I first saw the movie Star Wars: Attack of the…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 