Category: 3 Stars
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Tower Heist is Eddie Murphy closer his best days, but not much else
Tower Heist – 2011 Directed by Brett Ratner Starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, Téa Leoni, Casey Affleck, Judd Hirsch, Matthew Broderick, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe Screenplay by Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson There is something sharp and very clean about a Brett Ratner film. There never seems to be any sort of litter, refuse or debris anywhere on the…
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Dream House is almost as good as the story surrounding the movie
Dream House – 2011 Directed by Jim Sheridan Starring Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Martin Csokas, Elias Koteas, Taylor and Clair Geare Written by David Loucka The director and stars of Dream House balked at promoting the film, essentially due to the way the movie was cut after its test screenings. What’s more, Rachel Weisz and Daniel…
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Footloose is tight as a coin in the back pocket of Julianne Hough’s pants
Footloose – 2011 Directed by Craig Brewer Starring Julianne Hough, Kenny Wormald, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Miles Teller, Ser’Darius, Ziah Colon, Patrick John Flueger, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens Screenplay by Craig Brewer, Dean Pitchford It took me a while to learn to appreciate Kevin Bacon, and when the original Footloose was released, I was still in the warming up phase. The…
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CPE and Em: The Nativity Story offers a view of grace in dark times
The Nativity Story – 2006 Directed by Catherine Hardwicke Starring Keshia Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Ciarán Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Stanley Townshend, Shaun Toub, Alessandro Giuggioli, Hiam Abbass, Alexander Siddig, Eriq Ebouaney, Stefan Kalipha, Nadim Sawalha Much of the news surrounding The Nativity Story had to do with the personal drama of then 16-year-old Keshia Castle-Hughes announcing that she pregnant during the publicity tour of the…
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The Big Year is a good idea if money is no object
The Big Year Extended Edition – 2011 Directed by David Frankel Starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Dianne Wiest, John Cleese, Joel McHale, Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Anjelica Houston, Rosamund Pike, Anthony Anderson, Corbin Bernsen, Kevin Pollak, Al Roker, Stephen Weber Written by Howard Franklin Steve Martin, Jack Black and…
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Moneyball is the Die Hard 2 of Baseball Movies
Moneyball – 2011 Directed by Bennett Miller Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Casey Bond, Kerris Dorsey Written by Aaron Sorkin There is a point early on in Moneyball, where Billy Beane, as played by Brad Pitt, is listening disgustedly to the assortment of old men who are supposed to be…
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Drive starts out in the fast lane; ends up in the ditch
Drive – 2011 Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn Starring Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Oscar Isaac Written by Hossein Amini based on Drive by James Sallis There is a scene at the beginning of Drive that is as clever as any car chase I have seen. Acting as driver for a…
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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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What’s Your Number? Let’s go with ***
What’s Your Number? – 2011 Directed by Mark Mylod Starring Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Joel McHale, Zachary Quinto, Martin Freeman, Andy Samberg, Anthony Mackie, Blythe Danner, Ed Begley, Jr., Ari Graynor, Written by Gabrielle Allen, Jennifer Crittenden Anna Faris has the unique ability to look beautiful and hilarious at the same time. Kind of like a…
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In Time is Gattica with an eye on the clock
In Time – 2011 Written & Directed by Andrew Niccol Starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde, Matt Bomer, Vincent Kartheiser, Alex Pettyfer So, if you’ve seen Gattica, you’ve pretty much seen In Time. Y0u have a lowly guy, who is a factory worker, eking out an existence while a privileged class lives on the other side.…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 