recent product reviews
Steve Jobs (2015)
A LOT of talking. It’s a blurry mumbo-jumbo of product names, operating systems, and business directives. Names are dropped, characters fly in an out in a rush to tell some sort of story. None of the relationships Jobs has with his family, peers, bosses, or competitors is explored with any…
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Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Great casting and respectful performances. The whole thing seems authentic.
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Annie (1982)
Heartfelt and well made. The film feels convincingly rooted in the 1930s. Characters, acting styles, and production design all complement each other nicely. The only moment that really crosses into cheese is the fake fireworks display spelling out Annie’s name at the end. Aileen Quinn is adorable and delivers a…
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Cinderella (2015)
Nicely realized by Branagh. I was skeptical of James and Madden at first, but they ended up doing a pretty good job. James has got a bit of Geena Davis in her.
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Saving Mes Aynak (2014)
Interesting look at a sliver of land with an interesting and turbulent history.
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Delicatessen (1991)
A quirky, tongue-in-cheek look at dystopian future, similar to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. Anachronisms and sillyisms and goofy TV clips make it nostalgic and timeless at the same time. But Jeunet makes this one distinctly French, with goofy-looking and overly expressive characters, exceedingly silly humor and physical comedy gags, and bouncy…
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Annie (2014)
The focus here is not on the story or characters or performances, but on being updated and fresh and pretty. It doesn’t have the charm, warmth, cohesiveness, and naturalness of the 1982 film. Along with the modern-day references and jokes, there are updated lyrics, and new songs. The biggest problem…
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The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
Like the first, lots of deep and valuable messages delivered by old people in the quirky and exotic surrounds of India. Natural acting by veteran actors. Gotta assume it’s fun for them to make these movies.
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
A deep, insightful look at being the unpopular kid in high school, though it got unexpectedly dark at the end. Obviously a very personal movie for Chbosky, the author and screenwriter and director of the film. It’s interesting and surprising that Chbosky’s hardly done any other directing. I wonder how…
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Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Aside from Roberts, who was a relatively talented and exceptionally mature young actress, acting is this movie is completely awful. Every actor moves robotically and talks as if reciting from a script. It’s ironic that Ben plays a drama teacher in the movie. And it’s not just the acting. This…
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I'm a photographer, web developer, travel enthusiast, and movie buff living in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.In the summer of 1993, I started writing reviews for every movie I saw and haven't looked back. I'm up to 2,371 reviews now. This makes me cool or a complete dork, depending on your perspective.
Some of these reviews contain spoilers, so if that bothers you, don't read!
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