Category: The Twenty-First Century
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The Dark Knight Rises [2012] ★★★½
Question: how can you top “The Dark Knight”, one of the best (if not the best) superhero movie of all time? The answer is you can’t. But hold your horses. “The Dark Knight Rises” may not be as brilliant as its predecessor, but it’s damn near close. Christopher Nolan’s terrific conclusion to his Batman trilogy…
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Casa De Mi Padre [2012] ★★½
Will Ferrell is having the time of his life in this enjoyable B movie (the opening logo is proof that it’s strictly a B production), playing Armando Alvarez, a Mexican rancher hot for the fiancee of his brother (Diego Luna) and trying to deal with a drug lord , played by Gael García Bernal. Yes Ferrell…
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The Magic Of Belle Isle [2012] ★★½
Since multiplexes are crammed with lousy movies this month (with the exception of the solid “The Amazing Spider-Man), you might want to run to your nearest DVD store and get this feel good, family friendly film. Plus the fact that it stars the great Morgan Freeman is reason enough to check it out. It’s not…
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Chernobyl Diaries [2012]
Told you I’d be reviewing crappy movies this month. Case in point, “Chernobyl Diaries”, a truly dreadful horror movie from the creator of the “Paranormal Activity” franchise (not again!). On the surface, you’d think this is yet another “found-footage” film, when in fact it’s not. But it has enough shaky camera scenes and lousy “boo”…
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Silent House [2012] ★½
Many have heaped praise on the technique used in this haunted house chiller, but directors Chris Kentis and Laura Lau take an awfully long time getting to the actual plot, content to spend the first half of the movie doling out “boo!” moments. In fact, those moments never really fade away, and most of them are pretty…
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The Three Stooges [2012] ★★
To call this movie pointless wouldn’t be unfair. After all, if you’re a die hard fan of the original stooges, why bother with a replica when you can still catch the real deal on DVD right? But Hollywood and The Farrelly brothers had other plans. Instead of a biopic that might explain how Moe, Larry and…
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Ice Age 4: Continental Drift [2012] ★★½
If you have kids, you’ll want to take them to see “Ice Age 4”, and they’ll almost certainly have a good time. If you’re an animation buff, like myself, you may have a problem with the film, which looks great but isn’t up to the standards in terms of story. That’s the problem with producing…
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The Amazing Spider-Man [2012] ★★★
Early reviews have been inordinately pissy for the new Spider-Man movie. And there’s no arguing that the movie is too long at 136 mintues, and feels a lot like a replica (the last Spiderman was only 5 years ago and the series didn’t need a reboot so early). Know what? Audiences won’t give a damn.…
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Rock Of Ages [2012] ★★½
There’s nothing inherently wrong with “Rock of Ages”, a movie with a killer soundtrack and a brilliant performance by Mr. Tom Cruise, but there’s nothing special about it either. This is a situation where audiences will go into the theater humming the featured songs, and while the movie they see offers no surprises, it does something relatively…
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Safe [2012] ★½
Oh look, another Jason Statham movie! I could go on, but do I really have to? Rating; 1.5/4
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We Need To Talk About Kevin [2011] ★★★
It isn’t easy being a sleeper nowadays. There’s been so much buildup for “We Need To Talk About Kevin”, which has traveled the film festival circuit since last year, that it’s difficult for ordinary moviegoers to feel as if they’re discovering it for themselves. I hope huge expectations don’t harm the film’s reception: it really is…
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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [2012] ★★½
Forgive me people for I have sinned: I liked “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”. And contrary to what I expected, the movie is a fun experience, meant to be savored on the big screen. Producer Tim Burton offers up a big, impressive, eye-opening production. It’s also well cast, with two forceful male characters played for all they’re…
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Wanderlust [2012] ★★
I don’t want to sound like a party pooper, but “Wanderlust” is one of the few Paul Rudd movies that I couldn’t enjoy. Now don’t get me wrong. The man is still a pleasure to watch. But I couldn’t care less about the plot or its outcome. The best thing I can derive from it…
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Salmon Fishing In The Yemen [2012] ★★
It’s difficult to know what to make of “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen“. When I asked some people about it, reaction was all over the map. One person said it was a horrible movie, while another said that its “a mixture of boredom and wisdom”; many others echoed their sentiments. I fall somewhere in between…
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10 Movies you’ve Wasted your Money on
Abduction [2011] Bel Ami [2012] Battleship [2012] Mirror Mirror [2012] Piranha 3DD [2012] Jack and Jill [2011] Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon [2011] Gone [2012] The Human Centipede 2 [2011] Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance [2012]
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The Dictator [2012] ★★
As someone who, swimming against the current, doesn’t care much for Sacha Baron Cohen and his alter egos, Borat, Ali G and Bruno, I still wanted to give the guy another chance to impress me. I certainly couldn’t have predicted a movie as lame and mediocre as “The Dictator”. Why? Because it wussies out on…
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Moonrise Kingdom [2012] ★★★
Simplicity is not a quality most Hollywood moviemakers aspire to achieve, but for me it’s part of the charm of “Moonrise Kingdom”, an amusing, low-key movie that strikes a tone unlike any other film this year. I’m a huge admirer of director Wes Anderson, but I’m not one of his can-do-no wrong fans. I loved…
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Piranha 3DD [2012]
I watch bad movies so you can save your money. Case in point: “Piranha 3DD”, a truly awful sequel to the silly but entertaining “Piranha”. The first one had blood, full frontal nudity and Christopher Lloyd as a wacky scientist. Back then, I called it “the most enjoyable crap I’ve seen in a long time”.…
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La Délicatesse [2012] ★★½
Not every movie has to be an event, or a blockbuster. Sometimes, all I ask of a film is that it offers an entertaining diversion for a certain period of time. That’s exactly what I got from “La Delicatesse”. During this current movie season, when it’s all about superheroes and visual experience, small movies tend…
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