recent product reviews
Paprika (2006)
Weird-ass movie, a roller coaster acid trip of dreams. Evokes Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine, Strange Days, Inception with its dreams-in-dreams confusion, and maybe also Matrix. Animation and music are great. Not sure if the weird dialogue is a byproduct of bad translations, but there are weird word choices, no dramatic pauses,…
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Arrival (2016)
I thought we might be getting a quality film about alien contact, a subject that hasn’t been treated with the proper care since Contact, but this one ended up being a disappointment. Started off right. Wonderful tension when first meeting the aliens, and the effects and sound mixing for the…
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Primer (2004)
A really impressive personal project by Carruth. The whole thing was made for $7000? That’s amazing. The whole thing is shrouded in mystery from the start. These guys are smart, but what’s their background? They seem to be some sort of engineers, but no hint is given of their educational…
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Kon-Tiki (2012)
A paint-by-numbers film about a few guys in a raft for three months. This is a boring story. The fact that fictional liberties were taken to make things more exciting is evidence that maybe this not the greatest story for a movie. Why was this trip so important? The archaeological…
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The Normal Heart (2014)
This is not just a showcase of gay people doing gay things. There is a good story here, made with heart and class. It’s too bad this didn’t get a theatrical release. It deserved one. Great casting, even better acting. Ruffalo and Bomer are fantastic. Where were the Oscars? What’s…
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An Honest Liar (2014)
A great documentary about a fascinating man and his noble principles. Well-made and interesting throughout.
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Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Gibson is drawn to Jesus-like characters who stick to their convictions and sacrifice everything for a greater good. These are passionate stories that he tells, stories that are usually great for movies. Good, authentically American characters played by a mostly Australian cast. Garfield is amazingly authentic, nailing it in a…
Full ReviewThe Sociopath (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)
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)
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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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 2,388 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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