Category: 4.5 Stars
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Avengers: Age of Ultron (****1/2) too much good to be bad
Avengers: Age of Ultron – 2015 Written and Directed by Joss Whedon Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson Tony Stark / Iron Man (facing fire of the enemy) Guys, wait. We gotta talk this through. (after incapacitating all of them with leg shots) It…
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A Most Violent Year (****1/2) is a good story excellently told
A Most Violent Year – 2014 Written and Directed by J.C. Chandor Starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Albert Brooks A Most Violent Year is a fascinatingly simple story that underlines the strength of a man and all the things that contribute and detract from it. Oscar Isaac is Abel Morales, the owner of the small but thriving…
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The Theory of Everything (****1/2) is a sweet tale about what love can create
The Theory of Everything – 2014 Director James Marsh Starring Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis Screenplay by Anthony McCarten based on the book Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking To see The Theory of Everything is to see glimpses of brilliance, and the kind-hearted woman he loves. We…
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American Sniper (****1/2): Bleeds carefully with Eastwood’s heart
American Sniper – 2014 Director Clint Eastwood Starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Max Charles, Luke Grimes, Kyle Gallner, Sam Jaeger, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Navid Negahban Screenplay Jason Hall based on the book by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, Jim DeFelice When looking into the game plan of documenting a martyr, it’s not easy to present the subject as a whole person, flaws and all. One of the…
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Snowpiercer gets to the heart of the matter
Snowpiercer – 2013 Director Boon Joon-Ho Starring Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Go Ah-sung, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, Ed Harris Screenplay Joon-Ho and Kelly Masterson An inadvertent addition to the growing trend of movies going straight to video on demand, Boon Joon-Ho’s Snowpiercer, along with Mike James’ Roger Ebert opus, Life Itself have forever changed my mind on the value…
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The Grand Budapest Hotel: Having a story to tell can do wonders
Grand Budapest Hotel – 2014 Written and Directed by Wes Anderson Starring Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Mathieu Amalric, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Léa Seydoux, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Tony Revolori Wes Anderson films inspire a groundswell of apathy from me. Often his work feels like Jazz to me, a form of art given much credit, even…
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22 Jump Street: Does Blanche do heroin?
22 Jump Street – 2014 Directors Lord and Miller Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stromare, Ice Cube, Amber Stevenson, Jillian Bell, Wyatt Russell Screenplay Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel, Rodney Rothman Conventional wisdom tells us the story about most sequels, and it tells even more about those who review sequels. Many sequels are made on some sort of auto…
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Forgotten Gems: Once We Were Kings…The Lethal Weapon Series
Lethal Weapon Collection – 1987, 1989, 1992, 1998 Director Richard Donner Starring Martin Riggs Mel Gibson Roger Murtaugh Danny Glover Leo Getz Joe Pesci (2-4) Lorna Cole Rene Russo (3-4) Lee Butters Chris Rock (4) Trish Murtaugh Darlene Love Rianne Murtaugh Traci Wolfe Nick Murtaugh Damon Hines Carrie Murtaugh Ebonie Smith Captain Ed Murphy Steve Kahan…
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Enough Said Curbed Enthusiasm
Enough Said – 2013 Writer and Director Nicole Holofcener Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone James Gandolfini had the rare gift of expression through silence. Or quiet at least. His voice large as it felt, was low enough that it drew you in, and before you knew it, you were hooked by his wizened smile. His…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 