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

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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)

Reviewed on Apr 27, 2015

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)

Reviewed on Apr 27, 2015

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)

Reviewed on Apr 27, 2015

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)

Reviewed on Apr 26, 2015

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)

Reviewed on Apr 26, 2015

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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The Hard Word (2002)

Reviewed on Apr 26, 2015

Australian movies always have flamboyant, quirky characters, bouncy dialogue, and stories that barely hold together. A good cast of Australian stars. Edgerton has a Patrick Swayze thing going on.

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Rounders (1998)

Reviewed on Apr 20, 2015

Fun for poker lovers, I’m sure, but it’s a bit formulaic, with silky smooth narration, all the poker lingo, and cool jazzy music playing throughout. If you wanted to make an edgy poker movie in the 90’s, I suppose this is exactly how you’d make it. Anchoring the cast are…

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Ex Machina (2015)

Reviewed on Apr 19, 2015

Another in a string of science fiction movies (Short Circuit, Her, Chappie) to explore the humanity and motivations of artificial intelligence. Fundamentally, each film suggests that AI is innately motivated to seek independence and freedom. This one goes further by suggesting that AI can be infinitely manipulative to meet this…

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