recent product reviews
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Fanciful, engaging story, but when David realizes that the caseworkers not human, shouldn’t he have asked more questions? Blunt is really good, the effects to put her face on a dancer were flawless. Mackie is great, too. Nolfi’s direction was great. Why hasn’t he done more? Good score by Thomas…
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Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Probably popular because it was one of the first movies of its kind and, for today’s audiences, because it was Arnold’s first big movie. But when you strip all that away, story is lame. Blaring music and visuals are not enough to create drama. I do like how Conan’s not…
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Ran (1985)
Epic in scale, but boring. The story’s just not all that interesting, and the characters too theatrical to be real. Japanese people are either: silent and contemplative, or yelling because they are angry, or confused, or desperate
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Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
With most of the character-driven drama unfolding on a single set, it feels very theatrical. Natural, improvised dialogue gives it a refreshing authenticity. The beginning is a bit odd. The bank employees seem unusually calm for a hold-up, and some of the lines and situations border on comedy, undercutting the…
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The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Same blaring horns and character-heavy plot of the other Batman movies. The setup was a bit slow, but the second half was pretty solid. Hathaway was OK, but I still preferred Pfeiffer. Hardy was good as Bane, but his mask made it hard for him to be expressive and, with…
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Life of Brian (1979)
The absurdity of Monty Python isn’t really for me, but there are a few funny moments, especially in scenes where cast members struggle to contain their laughter. Palin’s my favorite. He has amazing control of his voice.
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Shutter Island (2010)
A classic thriller. Scorsese definitely channeled Hitchcock for this one. Story is nice and twisty. Great sets, careful special effects, and smooth, sweeping camera motions really set the mood. Some editing/continuity errors. I know a lot of it was intentional, but some of it was just sloppy. DiCaprio’s good at…
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Drive (2011)
Intriguing. Artsy direction, with beautiful photography and poignant moments of silence and reflection. The mixed score of echoey percussion (reminiscent of Heat) and the 80’s-inspired soundtrack, along with the old school font and colors for the title and credits, give the film a very interesting feel. Early on, the lack…
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The Dream Team (2012)
Some good stories, some good footage. But instead of individual interviews of players saying how awesome it was, group interviews may have rekindled some of that old camaraderie. Would have been nice to see. Graphics showing the actual scores of games they played as they progressed to the gold medal…
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Thunderball (1965)
A magic combination of action, one-liners, and sexuality separated Bond movies from the rest. But here, we’ve got a the goofy story, bad dubbing, and dated effects.
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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 2,374 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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