Jeff's Reviews | Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

The Sociopath (2016)

Reviewed on Nov 10, 2016

A decent collection of Trump-related footage, but most of it is superficial media coverage, and much of it seems to have been recorded from a TV screen and is strangely cropped. The droning music in the background is manipulative and unnecessary. Let the subject matter speak for itself. Available here:…

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Piper (2016)

Reviewed on Nov 3, 2016

True to Pixar form, the animation, characters, emotions, expressions, and timing are all fantastic. But the revelation here is that he learns a new way to find food? Cute, but some of the other Pixar shorts are better.

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Captain Fantastic (2016)

Reviewed on Nov 2, 2016

Like The Mosquito Coast, a genius shuns modern civilization to create a utopia for his family in the forest. Nice mood, and the characters and acting are great, but it meanders a bit.

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Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Reviewed on Oct 26, 2016

Inspired by Abrams, but this one’s not as good and not as smart. Spock’s dialogue is basic, McCoy’s quips are forced. Pegg’s Scotty doesn’t have a single good line, even more surprising when you consider that he wrote the screenplay. Effects are dizzyingly good, with silly smooth camera movements through…

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Life Itself (2014)

Reviewed on Oct 24, 2016

A candid and depressing look at one of the most beloved figures in film history, and such a personal, heartfelt project from Roger, Chaz, and James. That Roger was self-aware of the film’s production makes it that much more meaningful. I know he valued this. Cleanly crafted and well-organized. How…

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Song of the Sea (2014)

Reviewed on Oct 23, 2016

Creatively and beautifully animated. Almost too mystical and wishy washy for me, but I was surprised at how touched I was at the end.

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The Jungle Book (2016)

Reviewed on Oct 14, 2016

Not sure which, but either the original Rudyard Kipling novel or this movie is a crap story. Why are we supposed to care about any of these characters? What makes Mowgli good? His youthful innocence? What makes the tiger bad? The scar? There’s no character development, and consequently, I don’t…

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Jason Bourne (2016)

Reviewed on Oct 8, 2016

Getting a bit tired of the formula. Bourne looking around, in super-close-up, with a furrowed brow, trying to remember who he is. Music builds when he’s about to be apprehended. Handheld and shaky camera throughout. The dizzying car chase at end was good, just wish it had more drama behind…

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Sing Street (2016)

Reviewed on Oct 6, 2016

Cute and charming, pulling some of the same strings as Almost Famous. Carney did a great job capturing the 80’s authentically and making fun of it at the same time. Actors are all great. Walsh-Peelo pulls off a great first performance as the lead, and there’s something really appealing about…

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Reviewed on Oct 5, 2016

Overall, better than I thought it would be. It’s Zach Snyder, so it’s beautiful and polished and graphic, but the story is a bit jumbled and the acting is pretty blah. There were a few moments when I didn’t really know what was going on, including a ghost sequence and…

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