Category: 4 Stars
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Straight Outta Compton (****) is almost brutally honest
Straight Outta Compton – 2015 Director F. Gary Gray Screenplay by Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff Starring O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Paul Giamatti, Neil Brown, Jr., Aldis Hodge, R. Marcus Taylor, Keith Stanfield Straight Outta Compton is a story I needed to see. I knew nothing about most rap in the 90’s, even though my music collection was vast. The…
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Cool Papa E Reviews Rocky / Creed The Complete Saga
Rocky The Complete Saga – 1976 – 2015 Rocky – 1976 Director John G. Avildsen Starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Joe Spinell, Tony Burton, Geraldine Hughes Screenplay Sylvester Stallone Synopsis Down and out low ranking boxer Rocky Balboa (Stallone) gets the shot of a lifetime when he is randomly picked to take on the World Champion…
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Trainwreck (****) is long, well acted and kind of funny
Trainwreck – 2015 Director Judd Apatow Starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Vanessa Bayer, Mike Birbiglia, Ezra Miller, Tilda Swinton, LeBron James Screenplay Schumer It may be for the best, but I had not seen much of Amy Schumer prior to watching Trainwreck. That tactic worked for Ted, because one of the things I heard a lot was it isn’t the same…
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Spy (****) is tailor made for McCarthy
Spy – 2015 Written and Directed by Paul Feig Starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, Jude Law, Miranda Hart, Peter Serafinowicz Melissa McCarthy is unique in the world of comedy. If you don’t know why, then you haven’t viewed any sort of social media – or media even – since Bridesmaids. The challenge for her is avoiding the…
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Love and Mercy (****) is the song we’ve been waiting for Wilson to sing
Wilson’s life has been a blessed one, it’s plain to those who have noticed. While not without trials, and a constant challenge of maintaining sanity and sobriety, Wilson has felt the warmth of the sun for some time. That the makers of the biopic should choose Love and Mercy as the title to their enterprise…
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Terminator Chronology / Anthology Reviewed By Cool Papa E
Terminator Anthology – 1984-2015 The Terminator – 1984 Chronology – May 12, 1984 Director James Cameron Screenplay Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher, Jr. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Earl Boen, Rick Rossovich, Joe Dante Review The impact of this film is giant in cinematic history. It’s not that it is an incredible…
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Mad Max: Fury Road (****): Same glorious road, different driver
Of the films, this is the one I enjoyed more than any, outside of Thunderdome. For a series that is such complete and all out high octane, they keep going down the same road over and over. Unlike George Romero’s zombie films, or Scorsese’s real crime repeats, the craft is getting more refined with each…
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The Hustler (****) / The Color Of Money (*****): Who owns this place?
The Hustler – 1961 Director Robert Rossen Starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, Myron McCormick, Murray Hamilton, Jake LaMotta, Michael Constantine Screenplay Sidney Carroll & Rossen based on The Hustler by Walter Tevis In an era where film was often an extension of the stage, The Hustler plays as exactly that. It is an exceptional meditation of…
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Kingsman: The Secret Service (****) – Kicking ass when appropriate
God save the Queen and long live the Kingsmen.
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Exodus Gods and Kings (****): Moses, Ramses II, God and his Angels
Exodus – Gods and Kings (2014) Directed by Ridley Scott Starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, María Valverde, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Andrew Tarbet, Isaac Andrews Screenplay Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian The prospect of a big budget film based on The Holy Bible is immediately deserving of skepticism these days. For some, like Aronofsky, use it to “explore…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 