Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews

Category: 4 Stars

  • Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is long and necessary for the survival of the human race

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    Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – 2013 Director Adam McKay Actors Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Meagan Good, James Marsden, Kristen Wiig, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Dylan Baker, Greg Kinnear, Josh Lawson, Harrison Ford Writers Ferrell and McKay As a sequel to one of the great comedies of modernity, Anchorman 2 was bound to disappoint.  And disappoint it does, early and often.  There are too…

  • American Hustle: Like flowers, but with garbage

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    American Hustle – 2013 Director David O. Russell Starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence Screenplay Eric Warren Singer and Russell There is a feeling of barely restrained whimsy in the events of American Hustle.  Instead of being the kind of film that aspires to be truthful while embellishing the facts, Russell and co-writer Singer make the…

  • Nebraska: The best actor’s Forte.

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    Nebraska – 2013 Directed by Alexander Payne Starring Will Forte, Bruce Dern, June Squibb, Stacey Keach, Bob Odenkirk Screenplay Bob Nelson Bruce Dern has been in a lot of stuff.  He’s been pretty good, too.  My personal favorites are no-good Joe Danby in Support Your Local Sheriff and the brutal Asa Watts from The Cowboys.  His…

  • Prisoners (****) exceeds the grasp of its flaws

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    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.…

  • The Spectacular Now (****)- Young, drunk and full of hope.

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    The Spectacular Now – 2013 Director James Ponsoldt Starring Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler, Bob Odenkirk, Andre Royer, Dayo Okeniyi, Kaitlyn Dever Screenplay Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber based on the book by Tim Tharp There is a time after Sutter and Aimee (Teller and Woodley) share a most intimate moment where she lays there and looks…

  • Insidious, Chapter 2: I’m a boy…

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    Insidious Chapter 2 – 2013 Director James Wan Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Steve Coulter, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Danielle Bisutti, Tom Fitzpatrick Screenplay Whannell Insidious Chapter 2 is one of the rare sequels that makes the original better.  The thing about the first chapter is that there were so many questions at the end of…

  • The Heat: What happens when you put these two together

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    The Heat – 2013 Director Paul Feig Starring Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demián Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Jane Curtin, Dan Bakkedahl, Taran Killam,  Michael McDonald, Tom Wilson, Bill Burr Screenplay Katie Dippold This is written by a woman.  I keep telling myself this, to no avail.  The number of curse words that emanate from the mouths of women, it feels like an Olympic achievement by the…

  • Pacific Rim: Where do you want to die?

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    Pacific Rim – 2013 Director Guillermo Del Toro Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Ron Perlman Screenplay Del Toro and Travis Beacham Once Guillermo Del Toro decided to forego The Hobbit series of movies, the concept kind of lost steam for me.  After I saw the first film, it was apparent why.  Jackson was creative in…

  • Forgotten Gem: My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?

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    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…

  • The Iceman just wants to be a landlord

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    The Iceman – 2013 Director Ariel Vroman Starring Michael Shannon, Winona Rider, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, James Franco, David Schwimmer, Stephen Dorff, Erin Cummings, Robert Davi Screenplay by Vroman and Morgan Land No one can economize a performance like Michael Shannon.  His countenance is always sober, but seething underneath.  His performance in Man of Steel was a thankless…