Category: GENRE
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6 Great Nicolas Cage Movies
People often ask me: why do you hate Nicolas Cage? Truth be told, I don’t. Aside from the shitty movies he’s been doing for the past decade, Cage is an Oscar winner and one the most popular stars of the 90’s. Let’s take a closer look at some of his finest moments. Yes, they do…
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The Boss Baby [2017] ★★½
Despite its paper-thin plot, there’s something charming and irresistible about “The Boss Baby”, starring Alec Baldwin as a baby spy on a secret mission. Sent from a company called “Baby Corp” as the newborn baby brother of 7 year old Tim, Boss Baby must keep his identity safe in order to stop a dangerous plot…
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The Promise [2017] ★★★
For the very first time, a big budget Hollywood production starring an all star cast tells a love story amidst the Armenian genocide. No wonder the Turks are angry. Screw them. “The Promise”, starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon, promises an emotional ride and delivers, as we follow the story of Michael…
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Ghost In The Shell [2017] ★★
I don’t know what Ghost in the Shell purists would make of this big screen adaptation, but as someone who loves science-fiction films, I thought it was tedious. And yet, it sounds cool on the surface, with beautiful visual effects and a kick-ass soundtrack to almost validate its existence. Scarlett Johansson plays Major, a cybernetic…
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The Fate Of The Furious [2017] ★★
People who follow my blog are probably familiar with my love/hate relationship with the “Fast and the Furious” franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed “Fast Five” for instance, and I especially enjoyed the heartwarming tribute to Paul Walker in “Furious 7”. That being said, I couldn’t care less about “The Fate of the Furious” aka “Fast and Furious…
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The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse [1933] ★★★★
People always mention “Metropolis” and “M” when they talk about German filmmaker Fritz Lang. While they’re both terrific, I personally vouch for “The Testament of Dr. Mabuse”, one of the best movies of the early talkies. Made in 1933, at a time when Nazism was on the rise, “Dr. Mabuse” was banned in Germany by…
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Vengeance: A Love Story [2017] ★★
I approach every Nicolas Cage movie with the same level of enthusiasm. Will it be as bad as the previous one? Maybe worse? Having suffered through “Arsenal” just a couple of months ago, I expected the worse here. So here’s the good news: “Vengeance” is a watchable mess. It’s still trash, but the kind of trash…
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Aftermath [2017] ★★
A drama about loss and grief is the last thing I expected to see Arnold Schwarzenegger star in. And yet, it starts out well enough: a man (Schwarzenegger) is on his way to pick up his wife and daughter from the airport when he’s informed that their plane has crashed and that there are no…
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A Cure For Wellness [2017] ★★½
I approach every psychological movie with a combination of excitement and apprehension, and “A Cure for Wellness” is no exception: it’s a visual feast, courtesy of director Gore Verbinsky, featuring a superior performance from its leading man, Dane DeHaan. How to describe the story? I’d say it’s a cross between Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” and…
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Going In Style [2017] ★★½
It’s not groundbreaking, it has a good amount of “old people” jokes, but it’s also fun to watch. That’s “Going in Style” in a nutshell. Director Zach Braff has never worked with legendary actors before, but I think he’s done a good job, turning this predictable heist movie into a real crowd-pleaser. You can probably connect…
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Max Steel [2016] ★
A flop in the United States and one of the worst reviewed movies of 2016, “Max Steel” is living proof that some Superheroes are worse than worthless. It not only scrapes the bottom of the superhero barrel; it bores its audience to death with a dull plot, a stupid hero, and a ridiculous villain, played…
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The Salesman [2016] ★★★½
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman” deservedly won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language movie. When I saw it last night, I had to stay in my seat for several minutes afterwards to take it all in. This is a rollercoaster of emotions that builds slowly and deliberately, leading up to an unforgettable climax. Part…
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Death Of A Cyclist [1955] ★★★½
Today’s classic film recommendation is Juan Antonio Bardem’s masterful “Death of a Cyclist”, released in the mid 1950’s under the Franco regime. It’s clear that Bardem’s aim was to criticize the huge gap between the poor and the rich, which explains why the movie was censored and Bardem was “forced” to change a key plot…
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Get Out [2017] ★★★
It came out of nowhere. First time director Jordan Peele, working with a tight budget (around $5 million), has managed to craft one of the year’s most profitable horror/slasher/comedy/satirical movies ($149 million at last count). So what’s all the fuss about? On the surface, it sounds like a mix between “Guess who’s coming to dinner”…
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CHIPS [2017] ★★½
You don’t walk in to see a buddy cop movie starring Dax Shepard and Michael Peña with high expectations. Personally, I don’t ask a lot from a raunchy comedy: I want it to entertain me and “CHIPS” does exactly that. The ultimate joke of the movie is that two officers from different backgrounds team up to bring…
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Life [2017] ★★
Although it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, “Life” has an intriguing science-fiction premise and just the right actors to carry it through. So what could go wrong? Plenty, as it turns out. Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds and a group of astronauts find a life form on Mars that could provide enough evidence for extraterrestrial life. But is…
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Power Rangers [2017] ★½
It’s pointless to try and figure out why this version of “Power Rangers” was made. The movie only exists because of Hollywood’s need to reboot pretty much every popular show/movie ever made. So how to describe my reaction? I’m not angry. Indifferent, perhaps. But not angry. I walked in with no particular expectations and walked…
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The Belko Experiment [2017] ★★
It’s gory as hell, but the idea at the core of “The Belko Experiment” got my attention: a group of 80 Americans are locked in their offices in Bogota, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice to kill 30 people in two hours. What happens if they don’t? They all die. Simple. Straight to the point. No…
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Beauty And The Beast [2017] ★★½
“Beauty and the Beast” is one of my favorite Disney animated movies, so naturally, I wanted the live action version to be as enchanting. First the good news: the film is beautiful to look at and well cast. Emma Watson needs no introduction, and she effortlessly becomes Belle, the young woman who finds herself taken…
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Paterson [2016] ★★½
To say that writer/director Jim Jarmusch makes unusual movies would be the understatement of the year. Sometimes, the result is unforgettable, as in “Stranger than Paradise”. Sometimes, you just want to turn the damn thing off, as in “Only Lovers Left Alive” (sue me). “Paterson” falls somewhere in between: it’s a quiet, intriguing look at…
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