Category: Mystery / Thriller
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The Giver (***) begat Pleasantville
The Giver – 2014 Director Phillip Noyce Starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Cameron Monaghan, Odeya Rush, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift Screenplay Michael Mitnick, Robert B. Weide based on the book by Lois Lowry The Giver is one of the original modern teen dystopian tales, where a society has been created from the ruins of the old one. This time,…
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The Maze Runner (****) stays on a true course
The Maze Runner – 2014 Director Wes Ball Starring Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Ki Hong Lee Screenplay Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, T.S. Nowlin based on the book by James Dashner Never having read The Maze Runner, word has it that the series is one of the better in the immense wave of dystopian stories that have consumed mass…
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Nightcrawler (*****) is the best kind of throwback
Nightcrawler – 2014 Written & Directed by Dan Gilroy Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton, Ann Cusack, Kevin Rahm, Eric Lange This is the kind of film that keeps me watching movies. The acting, the cinematography, the script and the promise of making an unforgettable experience with a small amount of overhead.…
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Enemy (*****) Tangled and Dark
Enemy – 2013 Director Denis Villeneuve Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini, Mélanie Laurent Screenplay by Javier Gullón based on The Double by José Saramago “Chaos is order yet undeciphered.” Enemy is the kind of film that challenges you to absorb every moment. It’s not enough just to watch this film, you have to feel it. If you keep…
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Gone Girl (*****) won’t be ignored
Gone Girl – 2014 Director David Fincher Starring Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, Kim Dickens, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, Missi Pyle, Sela Ward, Emily Ratajkowski, Patrick Fugit, Casey Wilson Screenplay Gillian Flynn based on her novel There is no better director thank David Fincher. Really, no one even comes consistently close to what he…
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The November Man (*): Is about as smooth as a Movember Man
November Man – 2014 Director Roger Donaldson Starring Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, Eliza Taylor, Caterina Scorsone, Bill Smitrovich, Will Patton Screenplay by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek based on the Bill Granger book, There Are No Spies About 30 minutes into The November Man, Pierce Brosnan’s Devereaux, fresh off of saving Kurylenko’s Alice from certain death, informs her in the most defeated…
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The East is inspired nonsense
The East – 2013 Director Zal Batmanglij Starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Patricia Clarkson, Jamey Sheridan Screenplay Batmanglij and Marling In the life of a young, independent filmmaker, you only get so many chances. Batmanglij has been working with Brit Marling since they went to Georgetown together. Their work together has created enough interest with the film The Sound…
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Prisoners (****) exceeds the grasp of its flaws
Prisoners – 2013 Director Denis Villeneuve Starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Dylan Minnette Screenplay Aaron Guzikowski One could say that I am not a fan of Paul Dano or Melissa Leo. They often play detestable creatures; almost always intentionally. Many of the best parts of their films involve them losing or being hurt in some way.…
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Forgotten Gem: My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done? – 2009 Director Werner Herzog Starring Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Udo Kier, Michael Peña, Grace Zabriskie, Brad Dourif Screenplay by Herzog and Herbert Golder Herzog and Golder were thinking of making a movie about the real life murderer Mark Yavorsky, who committed a matricide, mirroring the play of Orestes. He…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 