recent product reviews
Birdman (2014)
With its long takes and non-stop dialogue, Birdman takes inspiration from Mike Nichols and The Player. There’s some really clever editing and some fancy camera movements in there, but Iñárritu takes it all one step further with an eccentric story and eccentric characters and an eccentric star. Some might give…
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Fury (2014)
Not really much to the story. These guys are in a tank and need to kill Germans. They blow shit up and people die. Is that it? And whose journey is this? Don’s or Norman’s? Neither of their stories are compelling enough, and there’s a bit of dramatic awkwardness that…
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Gone Girl (2014)
A good mindfuck whodunnit, feels a bit like a Hitchcock classic, if not a little long and drawn out. I know it was adapted from a book, but I feel like it could have been an hour shorter. But the film is as manipulative as its characters. It pulls a…
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Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey (2014)
A noble effort at updating the series, an epic endeavor by Seth MacFarlane. But I just have to compare, and it’s not as good as Sagan’s original series. The segments are a bit disorganized and disconnected, especially in the early episodes. Sagan was better at packaging things up into relevant…
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Divergent (2014)
Appeals to the Hunger Games crowd. Forced adventure, a hint of magic, familiar actors playing shallow caricatures. Woodley isn’t bad, but I think we’ll see better from her down the road.
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Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Interesting premise, mixing the “redo” time travel concept of Groundhog Day and About Time with science fiction. Limon is quality. Hate Cruise if you want, but he can act. His performance is great, except for how he says “literally”. Blunt is at her foxiest. Paxton acts for a change. The…
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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Not much of an improvement over the first two of the series. If you’re into the character drama, the end was pretty good.
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Enough Said (2013)
Low-budget, but a sweet little story. Good cast, characters, and performances. Louis-Dreyfus’ schtick is charming. Gandolfini in an uncomfortable but authentic role.
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The Book Thief (2013)
Beautiful photography, wonderful sets, but the story doesn’t really go anywhere. Any story about Jews during WWII should be easy drama, but this girl’s story is not very dramatic. Nélisse (Liesel) is adorable, such expressive eyes and a really great performance. Liersch (Rudy) is great as well. Rushmore turns in…
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Killing Zoe (1993)
A jumble of drugs and violence and foul language, it’s amateurish and simple. This is something Tarantino would have made as a teenager. It’s no surprise that Avary is friends with Tarantino. Shame Stoltz never had a real career. Delpy is cute.
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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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