Review: The Hangover Part III

When I think of a great movie that was really damaged by the last two legs of its trilogy the first one that comes to mind is The Matrix.  All that was good about that first film (and there was a lot) was compromised and marginalized by the overwrought cinematic trash that followed.  Even now when I catch the original Matrix film in passing, it’s hard to separate that movie from the painful dialogue, the silly plot twists,...

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Review: Fast & Furious 6

All who thumbs their noses at the Fast & Furious franchise just don’t get it.  Everyone from the suits to the creative team to the cast and crew know that these films aren’t Weinstein material and that no Awards Season campaign is going to be launched for an Oscar push.  The movies have and will always be about fast cars, big action sequences, and just enough sentimentality to make you care about the characters.  Each...

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June 2013 Movie Guide

JUNE 7, 2013 THE INTERNSHIP Starring: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, John Goodman Why You Should See It: Because you just loved Wedding Crashers so much.Why You Should Avoid It: Because of every other movie Vaughn and Wilson have done since Wedding Crashers. And the Magic 8 Ball Says: Game time decision. THE PURGE Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane Why You Should See It: It's...

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Review: Snitch

Judging by his recent box office success, everyone knows Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – action star.  With his imposing physicality and sharp charisma honed on a live microphone in front of a WWE crowd, he has very much earned the reputation as a franchise rehabilitator.  What gets overlooked is that Johnson has worked at his craft and turned himself into a decent actor.  In Snitch, you get a look at his improvement...

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Review: Wreck-It Ralph

I’m not an animated movie guys.  I’ve properly stated this about a hundred times in this space, but every once in a while I will run out of things to watch or there will be an animated film that my girlfriend wants to see that will necessitate my giving one a look.  In the case or Wreck-It-Ralph, both scenarios came into play.  After one hundred and eight minutes of eye popping pastels and fluorescents, I came to...

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Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Rest easy Star Wars fans.  If Star Trek Into Darkness is any kind of indicator, then the fate of a galaxy far, far away is in very good hands.  In what is clearly a down year at the cinema, J.J. Abrams’ second entry into Gene Rodenberry’s universe is easily the best film I’ve seen this year.  Sure, there are plot elements in this film that are sure to enrage the guys who dress as Klingons for Comicon every year, but...

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Review: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

When Snow White and the Huntsman had a modicum of financial success, you knew it wouldn’t be the last time we’d see Hollywood dip their toes into the pages of children’s literature in search of another tale that could be spun into a commercially viable action narrative geared towards an adult audience; hence the production and theatrical release of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.  That the movie was released in January...

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Review: The Last Stand

If you enrolled in the kind of film school that runs advertisements on the inside of a match book and took a class called Action Films 101, then The Last Stand starring Arnold Schwarzenegger would be your first case study.  The latest in a recent trend of movies featuring a way-over-the-hill action star, The Last Stand is a paint-by-numbers approach to adrenaline movie making with very few pretensions and some tongue-in-cheek self-awareness...

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Review: Texas Chainsaw 3D

As a youth, there were a few movies that truly terrified me – movies like Amityville Horror (1979), Psycho (1960), and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.  Each did so in different ways using suspense and raw gore to varying degrees, but of the lot, the latter stood out as the most frightening.  The roar of the chainsaw and the gritty visuals made watching that film was an abusive assault on my nerves.  Unfortunately, since...

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