Category: GENRE
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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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Mortdecai [2015] ★
It’s early in the year, but I defy any 2015 comedy to be as stupid, slack and boring as “Mortdecai”. Johnny Depp is embarrassingly bad as an art dealer who must traverse the globe with the support of his manservant Jock (Paul Bettany) to recover a stolen painting. Clumsily directed by David Koepp, from a…
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Birdman [2014] ★★★★
How to describe Michael Keaton’s raw, elemental tour de force as Riggan Thomson in “Birdman”? Think of a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit and ready to blow. That’s how brilliant he is. Keaton gets everything right about this actor who’s not ready to call it quits. Once upon a time, he was the star of a superhero franchise called “Birdman”.…
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Cake [2014] ★★
You can watch Jennifer Aniston go crazy in the latest “Horrible Bosses” sequel, or you can decide to see her in something completely different for a change. I’m not saying you should, but she is definitely the best thing about “Cake”, playing a deeply depressed woman suffering from terrible pain, physical and emotional. Like a train…
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Whiplash [2014] ★★★½
Movies about music are so easy to get wrong. Yet “Whiplash” gets it wittily, thrillingly right. It turns the familiar into something bracingly fresh and funny. It’s intense, clever and brilliantly acted by its two leads, Miles Teller and J.K Simmons who gives the performance of his career. Written and directed by the gifted Damien Chazelle , from…
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Taken 3 [2015] ★
Ripping off “The Fugitive” and pretty much every single action thriller ever made, Liam Neeson has sadly saved the worst for last. “Taken 3” (or “Tak3n”) is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent desperation. At 109 minutes, it’s almost 20 minutes longer than its crappy predecessor. Which means you’ll have to suffer even more before the credits start…
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American Sniper [2014] ★★★
Does Clint Eastwood ever sleep? At 84, he’s directing an edge of your seat war movie about Chris Kyle, a real-life Texan Navy SEAL who served four terms of duty in Iraq. The reenactment of harrowing real-life events is as believable as any movie could hope to be, and while the outcome of the story was foretold…
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Escobar: Paradise Lost [2014] ★★★
Confession: Despite my admiration for Benicio Del Toro, I wasn’t expecting much from “Escobar: Paradise Lost”. I was wrong. First of all, no one who cares about organic film acting (the opposite of showing off) will want to miss del Toro’s magnificent performance as Escobar, the Colombian kingpin who was often labeled “The King Of Cocaine”…
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The Imitation Game [2014] ★★★½
Everything adds up- just like a perfectly solved mathematical equation- in “The Imitation Game”, a fantastic movie about the life of Alan Turing, the man who helped crack the notorious German enigma code during World War II (and ultimately won the war). This is one of the best biographies I’ve seen in a long time; It puts…
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Unbroken [2014] ★★½
Solidly crafted, impeccably acted and self-important in the way that Oscar loves, Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” is also incredibly close to exploitation. That’ll happen I guess, when your driving plot depicts the incredibly true story of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini, from a crash landing of his plane at sea during WWII to 47 agonizing days in a life…
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Into The Woods [2014] ★★
As a long time fan of the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales, I had high hopes for this elaborate musical adaptation (which in turn is based on a Broadway play). I’m sorry to report that I came away disappointed. It would take a lot to completely spoil the original material, but I never felt a connection with…
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The Interview [2014] ★★
The movie North Korea never wanted you to see is finally here. So was it worth the wait? The answer is quite simply no. As someone who enjoys Seth Rogen’s comedy but was disappointed with “Bad Neighbors”, I hoped this movie would hit the sweet spot again, especially since he is working with his longtime…
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Annie [2014] ★½
What a disaster. Jamie Foxx is such a fine actor that matching him up with Quvenzhané Wallis (who was Oscar nominated for her role in 2012’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild” at the age of 9) to modernize the beloved stage musical “Annie” sounds promising. On paper. What’s onscreen feels squeezed, dull and curiously lifeless. It’s got no kick…
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Exodus: Gods And Kings [2014] ★★½
Christian Bale starring as Moses in an epic movie directed by the great Ridley Scott (“Gladiator”) sounds like Oscar bait. Truth is: it isn’t. And the sooner you realize that, the more fun you’ll have at this enjoyable (if overlong) slice of history. It may not be a perfect film, or even a great one, but…
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Foxcatcher [2014] ★★★½
I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about “Foxcatcher” ever since Bennett Miller won the best director prize at this year’s Cannes festival. Now that’s it’s finally here, this brilliant and devastating drama starring Steve Carell (in a role of a lifetime), Mark Ruffalo (in one of his best performances) and Channing Tatum can…
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Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb [2014] ★★½
As mainstream Hollywood studio movies go, “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” isn’t bad. I’ve seen my share of bad sequels and this isn’t one of them, although the setting couldn’t be more familiar. Ben Stiller is back at it again and this time he’s on a very serious mission: he has to go…
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