Author: tlkabtmovies
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Project Almanac [2015] ★★
Your head will spin for all the wrong reasons while watching “Project Almanac”, the latest found-footage gimmick (yes I’m calling it a gimmick), about a group of teenagers who build a time machine and seize the opportunity to go back and fix their past mistakes while having a bit of fun along the way (hint: they…
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Deux Jours, Une Nuit [2014] ★★★
I never thought a straightforward story could be so gripping, until I saw “Deux Jours, Une Nuit”. It gets inside your head and heart, rubbing your emotions raw. Marion Cotillard, who was Oscar nominated for her outstanding performance, plays a worker at a small factory who, upon being released from the hospital (where she has been…
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Magic In The Moonlight [2014] ★★½
The best thing about being a Woody Allen fan is the certainty that if you don’t fully appreciate his latest film, he’s already got another one in the oven. Following the unprecedented audience reaction to “Midnight in Paris” and “Blue Jasmine“, Allen has conceived a new character-driven story set in 1928 France. It isn’t Allen’s…
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Chappie [2015] ★★★
From the poster and trailer you might think is another “Transformers” movie (God forbid), when in fact, “Chappie” is a Sci-Fi movie from Neill Blomkamp, the man who gave us the superior “District 9” and “Elysium”. Despite a lack of stars or a recognizable filmmaker, “District 9” put many big budget Hollywood blockbusters to shame and established Blomkamp as…
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Focus [2015] ★★
Everyone is different. I don’t like con artists, “magic tricks” or most of Will Smith movies (except maybe “The Pursuit of Happyness”). His exhausting new film suffers from a severe case of misdirection. That word describes the very nature of “Focus”, which purports to tell a clever story when all it’s doing is whirling in an endless…
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Everly [2015] ★
Reserve a special place in hell for movies that waste your time and patience. To a list that includes “Taken 3“, “Mortdecai” and “Jupiter Ascending“, add “Everly”. Joe Lynch is credited as a director and Yale Hannon with the script. But the movie seems untouched by human hands or originality. Salma Hayek plays a woman who…
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Big Eyes [2014] ★★★
After “Dark Shadows” and the animated feature “Frankenweenie“, director Tim Burton tackles something completely different for a change. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, he scores yet another bullseye by telling the real-life story of Margaret Keane, the woman whose paintings of sad, big-eyed children baffled America in the 1960’s. The only problem was that her husband…
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The Wedding Ringer [2015] ★★½
If you follow this blog regularly, you probably know that I’m not a big Kevin Hart fan. Which is why I approached “The Wedding Ringer” with very low expectations. But unlike some of his other recent comedy vehicles (“Ride Along“, “Think Like A Man Too“), this one actually offers laughs, plus a compatible costar in Josh Gad. And…
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Fifty Shades Of Grey [2015] ★½
It was fun, admit it, to watch Sharon Stone in 1992’s “Basic Instinct”, getting Michael Douglas and the audience cross-eyed just by uncrossing her legs on a day she forgot to wear underwear. This one scene is sexier than anything you’ll see in “Fifty Shades of Grey”, the movie version of the “worldwide phenomenon” that…
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Kingsman: The Secret Service [2015] ★★★
Guns, gadgets, spies, over-the-top action scenes. That’s the juice of classic Bond movies. It’s also the juice in “Kingsman”, an incredibly entertaining piece of comic book movie that dares you to dive into its own madness. Allow it. Chances are, you won’t be seeing a spy movie as fresh and clever for quite some time (“Spectre”…
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Wild Card [2015] ★
Look at the poster. Read: from the director of “The Expendables 2”. This ought to tell you how horrible “Wild Card” is, the latest action fiasco starring non other than Jason Statham. He plays a lethal Las Vegas Bodyguard with a gambling problem. That’s it for subtext in this formula action swill. Why do I sound…
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Jupiter Ascending [2015] ★½
Don’t let Oscar season convince you that this isn’t a disappointing start of the year for movies. Have you seen “Mortdecai” and “Taken 3”? And wait till you get a load of “Jupiter Ascending”, the new mess by The Wachowski siblings. Smirky acting, clumsy writing and clueless direction. What happened you guys? The Wachowskis wanted to…
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A Most Violent Year [2014] ★★★
Who doesn’t love a good crime drama? “A Most Violent Year”, a potent, propulsive film written and directed by J.C. Chandor (the underrated “Margin Call“, “All Is Lost”) is exactly that and more. Oscar Isaac is dynamite as Abel Morales, an immigrant out to live the American dream in 1981 New York. He is the…
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Blackhat [2015] ★★
“Blackhat” has the look of a hit. For starters, it’s a thriller directed by Michael Mann (“Heat”, “The Insider”), and audiences usually respond to his movies. They also love Chris Hemsworth, who went beyond his Thor character in 2013’s “Rush” to prove he’s got what it takes to be an A list actor. Here’s a chance to prove…
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Selma [2014]
“Selma” mesmerized me from start to finish. It is everything a film about a towering figure like Martin Luther King ought to be: majestic and emotional, respectful but not worshipful. It manages to humanize a historical figure without diminishing him in any way, thanks to director Ava DuVernay’s sure hand, a superior screenplay by Paul Webb, and an…
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The Boy Next Door [2015] ★
Ain’t it funny when someone like Jennifer Lopez tries to give her acting career another shot when we all agreed that it ended back in 2003? In “The Boy Next Door”, she hits rock bottom (take that, “Gigli”), playing a 40-something high school teacher who has a one night stand with the “boy” next door (played by…
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The Gambler [2014] ★★
James Caan played the title role in the 1974 movie. While less than perfect, the film was highly entertaining. Now Mark Wahlberg steps into his shoes to bring back the role of a compulsive gambler back to life in this new version directed by Rupert Wyatt. I’m sad to report that result is far from satisfying.…
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Still Alice [2014] ★★★
“Still Alice” deals with Alzheimer’s disease. I thought you should know that before you cringe and stop reading. But just in case you decide to stick around, I will tell you that while it’s not an easy movie to watch, it’s still a rich and rewarding experience. That Julianne Moore gives an honest, empathetic performance should…
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