recent product reviews
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Heavy on character and dialogue and with limited sets, this one definitely feels novelesque or theatrical. Like a lot of movies before the 80’s, not much happens. The climax of the movie is Luke eating eggs? Or Luke digging a ditch? Parallels with The Shawshank Redemption. Prisoner wins over the…
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Ip Man 2 (2010)
Yen is still cool, and the photography is as polished as the first. But the story’s not really there. The boxing storyline and scenes are ridiculous. Out of nowhere, this movie became Rocky IV. Action is OK, but there’s not enough of it. Some of these old guys can really…
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Zero Effect (1998)
Kind of interesting how Zero pieces things together like Sherlock Holmes, but is that all there is? What’s the story here? Zero is trying to make some money solving a case? Not sure that’s enough. But wait a minute, maybe this isn’t supposed to be a drama. Maybe it’s supposed…
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
A lot of talk, but not much happens and the characters aren’t very interesting. Boring. Newman’s a good-looking guy but a little flat. Brick is little more than a surly drunk staring at the wall holding a drink while Maggie rambles. Taylor is reminiscent of Gone With the Wind’s Vivien…
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Gates of Heaven (1978)
Morris is 50% telling a story and 50% laughing at these people in a way that hints of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. You can tell he’s goofing off by the some of the footage that he left in there. I wonder at which point he realized his subject matter was so…
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The Umbrella Man (2011)
Quality, but it’s so short and inconsequential that it’s hardly worth a comment. The credits take 10% of the running time.
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Strange Brew (1983)
Things were rough for comedy in the early 80’s. I suppose this was once funny to a very specific group of people (Canadians), but it’s awful now. The absurd, ludicrous, Zucker-like humor and meta-jokes are awful. How did von Sydow get mixed up with this? Obvious inspiration for Wayne’s World.
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Foxcatcher (2014)
Miller nailed 80’s vibe with genuine characters, unassuming performances, authentic clothing, long takes, and a minimalist score. It doesn’t feel like we’re being manipulated. Laying over this authenticity is an interesting, awkward, and creepy story with performances to match. But it’s all a bit slow. Distant but focused performances by…
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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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