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

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Tower Heist (2011)

Reviewed on Nov 20, 2012

Nicely motivated plot. Most movies, especially comedies, don’t have this much set-up anymore. Good ensemble cast.

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A very serious tearjerker of the kind that was in vogue in the early 80’s. A little slow overall, but some individual scenes are very dramatic and well-done. Streep is amazing. Today’s audiences probably don’t know that she has this kind of performance on her resume. Kline is great, too.…

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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Reviewed on Nov 14, 2012

Intense, agonizing, one of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen. Just a touch of comedy makes things even more tragic. Schnabel does a fantastic job. The fact that an American, English-speaking director created this makes it even more impressive. A truly courageous performance by Amalric. He should have gotten…

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Gandhi (1982)

Reviewed on Nov 12, 2012

A seemingly accurate depiction of Gandhi and his life, but long and slow. One of the problems with being historically accurate is that you run the risk of being boring and non-dramatic. I wonder if something could have been chopped or tightened up. Kingsley was a perfect choice. Great job…

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Skyfall (2012)

Reviewed on Nov 11, 2012

A bit different than the other Bond films: heavy on character, somewhat light on action, not much witty dialogue, and almost devoid of a love interest. But the characters and mood do carry it. It’s a good story and a good film. Bond is reactive instead of proactive, constantly on…

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Amores Perros (2000)

Reviewed on Oct 23, 2012

Polished direction, beautifully photographed, and intense throughout. Iñárritu knows what he’s doing. The stories are deftly woven together (a technique which has apparently come to be known as “hyperlink cinema”), and it takes a bit of effort putting everything together. So much time and energy is spent on each tale…

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Argo (2012)

Reviewed on Oct 21, 2012

Affleck’s direction is polished, and his performance is nicely understated. The rest of the cast is adequate, though I would have liked to see more dramatic tension from the mostly non-actors who played the six escapees. Pacing may have been a bit off, though. While the escape scene was intense,…

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Klitschko (2011)

Reviewed on Oct 9, 2012

An interesting documentary about two interesting guys. To make such an in-depth, cohesive, and polished documentary without any narration takes a lot of research, carefully scripted interviews, just the right stock footage, and conscientious editing. Well done.

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Barry Lyndon (1975)

Reviewed on Oct 6, 2012

Slow and sterile, like a lot of Kubrick’s movies. No way a movie like this gets made today. Too epic and not commercial enough. With it’s long, static takes, natural lighting, average-looking characters acting confidently and naturally with period dialogue, and seemingly authentic costumes and sets, it’s an immersive snapshot…

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Brave (2012)

Reviewed on Oct 2, 2012

It’s a bit touching, but it could be a bit more. The story and characters are a bit one-dimensional. The whole thing’s a little more Disney than Pixar’s other movies. For a change, we get to see an understanding and compassionate father, and a cold and ruthless mother. Some good…

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