Category: Ratings
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The Equalizer (***1/2) is brutal art in motion
The Equalizer – 2014 Director Antoine Fuqua Starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo Screenplay Richard Wenk based on the TV Show by Richard Lindheim and Michael Sloane The Equalizer is the type of story that would have agonized one to watch if it had been created by lesser talents than Fuqua and especially Denzel. Bearing…
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Housebound (***1/2) – Animal on the loose
Housebound – 2014 Written and Directed Gerard Johnstone Starring Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Cameron Rhodes, Ross Harper, Ryan Lampp A New Zealand film that was a hit at SXSW this year, Housebound is an effective thriller with some comedic elements thrown in for good measure. Morgana O’Reilly gives a game performance as a street wise crook…
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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 Expendables 3 (***1/2) – Holy crap! It’s not bad!
The Expendables 3 – 2014 Director Patrick Hughes Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Robert Davi, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger Screenplay by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Sylvester Stallone The first two episodes of this series went down the toilet bowl. The first was a decent attempt at creating a story with some…
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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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Interstellar (****) is cautiously ambitious, and laden with love
Interstellar – 2014 Director Christopher Nolan Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine, Josh Stewart, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi Written Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan There are lots of interesting ideas presented with Interstellar. Of all things, the film starts with a future that echoes our perilous past. Crops are set afire, the air filled with swirling…
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The Purge: Anarchy (**) needs to improve if it wants to be the new Saw, Paranormal Activity
The Purge: Anarchy – 2014 Writer and Director James DeMonaco Starring Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Michael K. Williams In the second take of the dystopian series, we go outside the confines of the home to the streets of L.A., where, presumably, no one is safe. This is especially true for the lower and working class people. It…
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Big Hero 6 is better than its individual parts
Big Hero 6 – 2014 Director Don Hall, Chris Williams Starring Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T. J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans, Jr., Génesis Rodríguez, James Cromwell Screenplay by Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson and Jordan Roberts A Marvel property produced entirely by Disney, Big Hero 6 is a treasure in the cinematic universe for both companies. Using a completely original concept…
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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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A Million Ways To Die In The West (**) feels like a lazy man’s Altman
A Million Ways To Die In The West – 2014 Director Seth MacFarlane Starring Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Liam Neeson Screenplay by Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild Comedy is hard. Part of MacFarlane’s gig to now has shoved awkward down the throats of those who are affected by it. In the old west, though, no one…
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