Author: tlkabtmovies
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Left Behind [2014] ★
With horrible acting, cheesy effects and disastrous storyline, “Left Behind” reaffirms the fact that the only thing left behind is Nicolas Cage’s career. Fiasco!
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The Best Of Me [2014] ★★
Based on the best-selling weepie by Nicholas Sparks, “The Best Of Me” is a hazard to all those allergic to cheesy chick flicks, or Sparks’ flicks in general. James Marsden stars as Dawson Cole, a man who is suddenly brought back into his ex-partner Amanda’s (Michelle Monaghan) company, when the pair meet to read the will of an old friend…
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Frank [2014] ★★★
Unleashed imagination is a hell of a rare thing to find at the movies these days. “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, sure, but then what? Try “Frank”, an offbeat comedy loosely based on the story of Frank Sidebottom, a Brit comic who enjoyed some underground success in the late 1980s and early 1990s by wearing a fake…
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Annabelle [2014] ★★½
Confession: I’m a sucker for James Wan’s horror movies. So naturally I was looking forward to “Annabelle”. Last year’s “The Conjuring” took everyone (even non horror fans) by surprise and became a huge hit. Naturally, it had to spawn a prequel. Gordon Gekko (That’s Michael Douglas, just in case) may reform in the Wall Street sequel,…
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Rio, I Love You [2014] ★½
Dull follow-up to “Paris Je T’aime” and “New York I Love You” offers a range of episodes set in the Brazilian city of Rio De Janero, mostly dealing with encounter of love in a different neighborhood of the city. Most of them are slight and boring; these vignettes about the beautiful city of Rio may just…
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The Judge [2014]
Director David Dobkin shows ambition for days in “The Judge”. That the movie is co-written by the gifted Nick Schenck (“Gran Torino”) is reason enough to recommend it. That the movie features two of the year’s best performances from Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall raises the bar another notch. So hold on tight. “The Judge” is a completely absorbing…
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Dracula Untold [2014] ★½
It’s been a horrible year for classic “Universal” monsters. First “I, Frankenstein” back in January and now “Dracula Untold”, which tells the story of Vlad the Impaler (Luke Evans), before and after his days as the famous vampire monster. The movie has its moments, but the overall result is an insult rather than a tribute…
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Gone Girl [2014] ★★★½
Not only did David Fincher have to sweat out making his directing return following “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by adapting Gillian Flynn’s 2012 best seller, he also cast Ben Affleck in the leading role. Ballsy. So here’s the deal: His film sneaks up, messes with your head and then floors you. You can’t shake it. It’s…
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The Prince [2014] ★
A retired assassin (Jason Patric) must get back in the game when his daughter is kidnapped. That’s “Taken” minus Liam Neeson and minus the fun. Awful, to say the least. Fiasco!
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Two Night Stand [2014] ★★½
“Two Night Stand” is far from original, but it isn’t often one can describe a contemporary romantic comedy as “sweet”, and that’s the fitting adjective for this lightly likable film starring Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton. It’s so short, and so slight, that it may be better enjoyed at home on DVD or on a date…
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And So It Goes [2014] ★½
If you admire such films as “This Is Spinal Tap”, “Stand By Me” and “The Princess Bride” as I do, you’ll be rooting for director Rob Reiner to score another bull’s-eye with his latest effort. But it’s clear pretty early on that “And so it Goes” is a muddled misfire: a tiresome, talky “romantic” comedy about a…
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The Rover [2014] ★★½
Aussie writer-director David Michôd follows up his critically acclaimed “Animal Kingdom” with a post-apocalyptic road movie that feels a lot like a western film.That means mainstream movie-goers will smell art and run like hell. And who can blame them? From the looks of things, “The Rover” is fighting a losing battle. Not to director David Michôd, whose Aussie-based “Animal…
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The Equalizer [2014] ★★½
Confession: I thought this movie would suck. Denzel Washington back playing a killing machine a decade after “Man On Fire”? Please. Well, my bad. “The Equalizer”, this time directed by Antoine Fuqua, is a roller-coaster ride that takes off like a crazy-ass rocket. Your head will spin. Your palms will sweat. Your nerves will fry. What more do…
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Life Itself [2014] ★★★½
Everything you need to know about Roger Ebert, the legendary film critic who passed away in 2013, is in Steve James’ fantastic documentary. Cancer destroyed Ebert’s body and robbed him of his voice, but he kept reviewing films on his blog till the day he died. In his final days, director Steve James followed him…
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A Walk Among The Tombstones [2014] ★★½
Formulaic as though it may be, “A Walk Among The Tombstones” is wildly entertaining: a whodunit thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat…at least for a while. It’s also a great vehicle for Liam Neeson, who plays private detective Matt Scudder, a character originally created by mystery writer Lawrence Block in a series of…
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The Maze Runner [2014] ★★★
Here’s something I never expected to say at this point in the movie season but the first installment of James Dashner’s futuristic series is exciting and entertaining to watch. The book was published in 2009 and instantly became a New York Times best-seller. It’s certainly easy to see why now: In adapting Dashner’s novel, director Wes Ball has…
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The Giver [2014] ★★½
Enthralling and frustrating…grandiose and gimmicky. “The Giver” is all of these and more. It’s always interesting to watch filmmakers you admire take on the impossible. Lois Lowry’s Newberry Award-winning 1993 novel is a tough book to translate onscreen. And nobody makes it to the top. A story about a future without pain, war, suffering and love is…
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Let’s Be Cops [2014] ★½
Lame, one joke comedy about two losers who decide to “play” cops just for the fun of it, with disastrous (pun intended) results. I could go on, but do I really have to? Rating: 1.5/4
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No Good Deed [2014] ★½
If you’re wondering why most studios dump their worst movies in September, buy a ticket to see “No Good Deed”, the latest crap from director Sam Miller. Meanwhile, here’s a memo to Taraji P. Henson: You were so good as Queenie in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” , so why’d you go spoil everything with a cheesy…
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Life Of Crime [2014] ★★
Unlike The Coen’s brothers’ masterpiece “Fargo”, I wasn’t swept away by “Life of Crime”, a movie with similar plot. I certainly appreciate the 1970s period flavor, the funny dialogue in writer/director Daniel Schechter’s screenplay, and the showcase it provides for a group of talented actors. However, about halfway through the movie I came to the realization…
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