Showing category "0.06% Beer or Wine" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: From Little Nobody to Blanta (Black Santa), The Fate of the Furious Requires a Cipher for Dom's Family

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 16, 2017, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Fate of the Furious

Directed By: F. Gary Gray

Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Charlize Theron, and Helen Mirren

I realize that I've been reducing the frequency of my reviews as of late. I've been absent since Logan and am just now coming out of the shadows. There's a method to my madness, however, and it's not just reviewing big event movies or awards darlings. I could m...

REVIEW: Loving Reminds Us That Caroline County Virginia Was Not Always for Lovers

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, November 24, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Loving

Directed By: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Nick Kroll, Michael Shannon, and Marton Csokas

"I miss him. He took care of me."

-Mildred Jeter Loving

With Donald Trump busy building his Injustice League of racists, sexists, and other deplorables that will comprise his cabinet, I was in need of a reminder that two million people more said no to the politics of hate than those who foolishly said yes. Loving presented that very opportunity. The film centers on the developmen...

REVIEW: What The Magnificent Seven Loses in the Fire at Rose Creek, It Finds in the Ashes

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 25, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Magnificent Seven

Directed By: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard

Remakes are the new sequels if the 2016 slate of films proves anything, and there have certainly been both hits and misses. We went back to Peace Rock for the bare necessities of life in The Jungle Book. We asked a new generation who you gonna call in the female-headlined Ghostbusters....

REVIEW: Chasing Jobs at Weekend Live, Members of The Commune Don't Think Twice While Doing Improv for America

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 27, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Don't Think Twice

Directed By: Mike Birbiglia

Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia, Kate Micucci, Chris Gethard, and Tami Sagher

"Has anyone had a particularly hard day?"

-Samantha (Gillian Jacobs)

I can't say that I have upon reflecting on my screening of Mike Birbiglia's improv-themed comedy Don't Think Twice. With the notable exceptions of Hello, My Name Is Doris and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, we haven't exactly had a glut of pure comedies or dramedies at the indie box ...

REVIEW: Scarface's War Dogs Say The World Is Yours When 100 Million Rounds of AK-47 Are Crumbs for AEY

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 21, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

War Dogs

Directed By: Todd Phillips

Starring: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana de Armas, J. B. Blanc, Bradley Cooper, Barry Livingston, and Kevin Pollak

I have been in an odd mood as a moviegoer over the last few weeks. I think the disappointing end to the summer movie season has left me in a rather sour disposition about the latest offerings at the box office. I genuinely was not looking forward to War Dogs despite the fact that it's starring two of the premier talents of the last several years....

REVIEW: In Café Society, Dreams Are Dreams

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 7, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Café Society

Directed By: Woody Allen

Starring: Jeannie Berlin, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Richard Portnow, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Corey Stoll, and Ken Stott

"Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living, but the examined one is no bargain."

-Leonard (Stephen Kunken)

I haven't reviewed a Woody Allen film in a couple of years. Honestly, it's been since his 2014 feature Magic in the Moonlight. I couldn't tell you if it's just that I'm repulsed by the factoids of...

REVIEW: Mistakenly Focused on the Witch's Heart, the Suicide Squad Is In Need of a Good Pep Talk

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 6, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Suicide Squad

Directed By: David Ayer

Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, and Cara Delevingne

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is really having a hard time getting off the ground. I recently checked out the extended edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While you all know my feelings on the abysmal theatrical version, I must admit that the extended edition is ...

REVIEW: Star Trek Beyond – Public Enemy And The Beastie Boys Set The Stage

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, July 30, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Star Trek Beyond
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Justin Lin

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, and Idris Elba

The summer box office season hit a bit of a slump. While animated fare has been plentiful and dominant, there have not been enough “must see” movies this summer. Independence Day: Resurgence, Tarzan, etc. were not enough to get me excited about this summer season. Audiences were waiting for an event movie, and Star Trek B...

REVIEW: Turn Out the Lights Given Diana's Skin Disorder & Her History at Mulberry Hills

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 24, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lights Out

Directed By: David F. Sandberg

Starring: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Alexander DiPersia, Billy Burke, and Maria Bello

It seems as if the box office might just be getting interesting again. We had the delightful Ghostbusters last weekend and have Star Trek Beyond this one. We even have Jason Bourne and Suicide Squad waiting in the wings. We're in the midst of a potentially really good wave of big blockbusters here. All the while, the undercurrent of horror and animated flicks t...

REVIEW: The Secret Life Of Pets – A Decent Toy Story Rip-off

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, July 24, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Secret Life of Pets
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney

Starring: Louis C. K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Steve Coogan, Ellie Kemper, Bobby Moynihan, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Jenny Slate, and Albert Brooks

This year, animated fare has dominated the box office. Zootopia, Finding Dory and Kung Fu Panda 3 are some of the highest grossing films of the year. If we include The Jungle Book in the animation category, the success of this year’s 3D computer...

REVIEW: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Who Love Jurassic Park, Drawings & Liquor

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 17, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Directed By: Jake Szymanski

Starring: Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, and Stephen Root

Movies can sometimes be a much needed distraction. During this tragic time in modern American history, it seems like a time when most of us could use a laugh. My fellow black men are being murdered in cold blood. Most recently Alton Sterling and Philando Castile have been victimized by a brutally unjust system with violations of their civil liberties abo...

REVIEW: To Purge & Purify in This Election Year, The New Founding Fathers Target Presidential Contender Senator Charlene Roan

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 2, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Purge: Election Year

Directed By: James DeMonaco

Starring: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Mykelti Williamson

The political conventions are coming this month, and there's a lot that could potentially happen over the next several weeks. With donors backing out left and right, the Republican convention is seemingly in turmoil. It's also not clear who is willing to hold their nose and risk political suicide as Trump's vice presidential pick. On the other side of the aisle, we have a de...

REVIEW: Heroes of Their Own Story Obsessed With Sixteen Candles in Central Intelligence, The Golden Jet & The Alleged Black Badger Will See You On the Other Side

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 19, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Central Intelligence

Directed By: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, Danielle Nicolet, Jason Bateman, and Melissa McCarthy

I think it's crystal clear from years of reviews that I'm tired of the same old shtick from Kevin Hart and that I'm looking for something new from his rather high energy brand of comedy. Ride Along 2. Get Hard. Think Like A Man Too. Grudge Match. The list goes on and on and on when it comes to Kevin Hart movies that don't...

REVIEW: Tackling Enfield in The Conjuring 2, Ed & Lorraine Warren Face Off With the Crooked Man Bill Wilkins & Demon Valak

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 11, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Conjuring 2

Directed By: James Wan

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O'Connor, Madison Wolfe, Simon McBurney, Franka Potente, Benjamin Haigh, and Maria Doyle Kennedy

We all could use a good scare right about now. After taking a break from the genre with the action spectacle Furious 7 last year, James Wan is back with the follow-up to his 2013 hit The Conjuring. As fate would have it, I've found one of the rare horror movies of 2016 I don't loathe. I'm not putting The Conjurin...

REVIEW: Alice Through The Looking Glass - A Plucky Heroine Battles Time

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Alice Through the Looking Glass
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: James Bobin

Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Rhys Ifans, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall

When a film grosses over a billion dollars worldwide, it will undoubtedly spawn a sequel. In 2010, Disney released Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Despite being universally panned, the film became a blockbuster smash. Six years later, Disney has released ...

REVIEW: For Her Kentish Nightingale Frederica, Lady Susan Vernon Brings Love & Friendship to Churchill

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Love & Friendship

Directed By: Whit Stillman

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell, Morfydd Clark, Jemma Redgrave, Tom Bennett, James Fleet, Justin Edwards, Jenn Murray, Stephen Fry, and Chloë Sevigny

There are such things as guilty pleasures at the box office. They're like Donald Trump for his supporters still in the closet. Just look to films such as Twilight, Step Up, and most horror movies. Adaptations of Jane Austen novels appear to fit that bill as well. Take Austen...

REVIEW: Given Gangsta Grub, the Enclosure & the Ceasefire, The Next Cut At Calvin's Barbershop Gets a Little Real With South Side Chicago

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 17, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Barbershop: The Next Cut

Directed By: Malcolm D. Lee

Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Regina Hall, Eve, Anthony Anderson, J. B. Smoove, Common, Nicki Minaj, Lamorne Morris, Deon Cole, Sean Patrick Thomas, Margot Bingham, and Tyga

It's been 12 years since the Barbershop franchise has been relevant. It's safe to say that all of us thought the shop was closed for good. However, Hollywood has a way of bringing things back from the dead. Normally, I would give a list of attempts to revi...

REVIEW: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 – Greek Don’t Crack, Well, Maybe A Little

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, April 2, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Kirk Jones

Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone, and Elena Kampouris

In 2002, Nia Vardalos took the summer box office by storm with her romantic hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Despite having a budget of just $5 million, the film grossed over $368 million worldwide and was a surprise phenomenon. Now, fourteen years later, Vardalos hopes to recreate the magic with My Big Fat Gre...

REVIEW: In the Kabubble of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Reporter and Kabul 9.5 Kim Baker Delivers Some Decent News at the Box Office

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Directed By: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, and Billy Bob Thornton

When I think of Tina Fey and live action movies over the last several years, I think of halfway decent comedies at best. Sisters. This Is Where I Leave You. Admission. The list goes on, but not necessarily in a good way. I don't typically think of her when it comes to more dramatic fare, but she may have just found a good role that could pr...

REVIEW: Pride And Prejudice And Zombies – A Surprisingly Fun Mix Of Jane Austen and Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, February 15, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Burr Steers

Starring: Lily James, Sam Riley, Charles Dance, Lena Headey, and Suki Waterhouse

A week ago, I was forced to review Fifty Shades of Black. Right on the heels of viewing that debacle, I was assigned to review Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I assumed that I was being punished by the movie gods for some unknown sin. Perhaps I was too lenient on Magic Mike XXL? Or maybe this was penance because I haven’t seen Bridge of S...

REVIEW: In The Finest Hours, Coast Guard Man Bernie Webber Does Everything to Get Over the Bar to the SS Pendleton for April 16th with Miriam

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Finest Hours

Directed By: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana

The aftermath of Jonas is more of his old man winter plaguing us with bone-chilling cold this past week. As I hit the movies, the weather served as a frosty reminder that I had been absent from the box office for a little while. Fittingly, the first movie on deck for me was about being caught in the throes of a deadly winter storm. Yes, I'm talking about ...

REVIEW: With the Daddy-Daughter Dance, 4th Grade Bullies, & the Panda's Smooth Jazz, Step-King Brad Puts Up A Loving Fence When King Dusty Says Daddy's Home

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, January 3, 2016, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Daddy's Home

Directed By: Sean Anders

Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Cannavale, Thomas Haden Church, and John Cena

I've hammered out a number of reviews this holiday season, but Daddy's Home has eluded me. I'm not even going to bother with Point Break, but I can't ignore the comedy playing second fiddle to Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the box office, especially one reuniting The Other Guys co-stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Having seen ...

REVIEW: In Concussion, Forensic Pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu Chooses to Fake the NFL, Whose Players Suffer From CTE, With Science

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 27, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Concussion

Directed By: Peter Landesman

Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Morse, and Albert Brooks

"The NFL owns a day of the week. The same day the Church used to own. Now it's theirs."

-Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks)

It's safe to say that football has supplanted baseball as America's favorite pastime. Garnering 114.5 million viewers earlier this year, Super Bowl XLIX was an unparalleled phenomenon lik...

REVIEW: At the Revamped Ellis Island Party with Cloud 10, Sisters Kate & Maura Do the Apple Butt Dance All Over the Big Screen

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 23, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Sisters

Directed By: Jason Moore

Starring: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena, Maya Rudolph, James Brolin, and Dianne Wiest

Few films have dared to open against Star Wars: The Force Awakens for good reason. The force is strong with this seventh installment in the famed science fiction franchise. Wildly popular, it's breaking every box office record that there is to break. Right now, the sky's the limit for Star Wars. One movie that dared to dance with box office disaster is rau...

REVIEW: In the Heart of the Sea Doesn't Steal Our Attention Like That White Whale Steals the Whaling Ship Essex

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 19, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

In the Heart of the Sea

Directed By: Ron Howard

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, and Michelle Fairley

Twas the night before Star Wars, when all through the house

Not a viewer was stirring, not even a mouse.

The light sabers were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Luke soon would be there.

It's the quiet before the storm this weekend. Yes, the force awakens next weekend and will be calling all moviegoers to the box of...

REVIEW: With the Weed of Christmas Present & the Staff of Life, The Night Before Is Like A Wrecking Ball Whose Social Media Game is Crazy

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 29, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Night Before

Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell, Michael Shannon, and Mindy Kaling

I've apparently been in need of a good raunchy comedy and didn't even know it. We had Ted 2 and Trainwreck this past summer, but I can't think of a wild comedy from 2015 that makes me instantly chuckle upon reflection. That’s a real shame. If The Night Before is any sign, there’s still hope for what little bit of time we ha...

REVIEW: Real or Not Real, The Mockingjay's Nightmares Come to a Turbulent Conclusion in the 76th Hunger Games

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 21, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland

We're just two weeks out from having witnessed what may have been Daniel Craig's final outing as 007 in Spectre, and now we are witnessing Jennifer Lawrence's final outing as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Mo...

REVIEW: Truth Finds the Courage to Say FEA to Its Abusive Dad America

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 1, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Truth

Directed By: James Vanderbilt

Starring: Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, and Elisabeth Moss

As much as the right wing tries to put every single one of our nation's woes on President Obama (and his liberal media), everyone has to admit that his direct predecessor George W. Bush left the United States FUBAR. The Iraq War. Hurricane Katrina. Scooter Libby. The Great Recession. The list goes on and on. Yes, Bush 43 has plenty of failures. Even Republican presid...

REVIEW: In The Walk, French High-Wire Artist Philippe Petit Leads a Crazy Coup Atop the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 4, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Walk

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, and Steve Valentine

It's amazing how each movie season seems to have a theme or trend. I said this a couple of weeks ago, but this fall movie season is all about adaptations. It's being proven once again this weekend at the box office by the two big releases of the hour. In one corner, we have Ridley Scott's The Martian, an adaptation of Andy Weir's 2011 novel ...

REVIEW: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – Flare Zombies, The Sun And W.C.K.D. Put Our Heroes Through The Fire

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, September 20, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Wes Ball

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Kaye Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson, Aidan Gillen

Ever since the success of the Twilight and Hunger Games series of films, studios have been trying to find the next big young adult book craze. Many attempts have failed, but in 2014, Divergent and The Maze Runner films met with some success and earned sequels. Based on the second novel in James Da...

REVIEW: In Everest, The Last Word Always Belongs to the Mountain, Which Makes Its Own Weather for Adventure Consultant Rob Hall

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 19, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Everest

Directed By: Baltasar Kormákur

Starring: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Michael Kelly, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Emily Watson, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, and Jake Gyllenhaal

Welcome back STMR readers! It's amazing how the box office kicks into high gear every year on the third weekend of September. It's like clockwork. The doldrums of late summer are now behind us, and the fall movie season is thankfully upon us. With it, we get a taste of more thought-provoking blockbusters as ...

REVIEW: Not Incontinence or the Stomach Flu, The Visit's Elixir Is Sundown Syndrome

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 12, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Visit

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn

I came into The Visit with quite a few reservations to say the least, and it's not just the fact that I am returning to STMR after a bit of a hiatus. After all, we're talking about M. Night Shyamalan. He hasn't had a good movie in well over a decade. His previous feature film After Earth says it all in the way it sank the box office prospects of the unsinkable mov...

REVIEW: For Nuclear Bombs & A Father's Watch, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Solo & His Cowboy-Loving Partner Kuryakin Take On Vinciguerra's Diadema

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 16, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, and Hugh Grant

Spy movies are in full supply this year, and moviegoers have been anything but disappointed. Kingsman: Secret Service, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, and Spy have set a high bar for the spy flicks making their way to theaters in these later months, namely Spectre and this weekend's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. All that being said, the reboot t...

REVIEW: Paper Towns – Q, Ben And Radar Sing The Pokémon Theme Song And Take One Last Road Trip

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, August 1, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Paper Towns
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Jake Schreier

Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair

With a great deal of reluctance, I agreed to review Paper Towns. I was not looking forward to seeing another film based on a John Green novel. After all, I remembered the sobbing and squeals of “Oh my God, I can’t take it” as I watched The Fault In Our Stars. I feared that Paper Towns would make me want to run screaming from the theater, dr...

REVIEW: Magic Mike XXL – White Chocolate Takes The Boys To The Stripper Convention

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, July 6, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Magic Mike XXL
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Gregory Jacobs

Starring: Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Jada Pinkett Smith, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Kevin Nash, Amber Heard, Stephen Boss

A few years ago, I reviewed Magic Mike. It is difficult to capture the experience of seeing that film on opening weekend—the lines of women, the excited whispers, the cheers and the jeers. It is an event. I knew that I had to take my Magic Mike XXL experience up a notch. So I went to see the sequel with f...
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REVIEW: With the Indominus Rex, Velociraptors That Can Take Orders & An Aging Tyrannosaurus Rex, Jurassic World Tries to Up the Wow Factor

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 13, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Jurassic World

Directed By: Colin Trevorrow

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, B. D. Wong, and Irrfan Khan

Twenty two years ago this week, the perfect storm came together at the box office. Jurassic Park opened. As I reflect nostalgically upon this monumental moment in movie history, I realize that the stars had to align for Jurassic Park to be truly one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. The story had to be ther...
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REVIEW: Despite the Man Who Can't Breathe's Obsession With Quinn Brenner, Insidious: Chapter 3 Isn't A Real Traffic Stopper

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 7, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Insidious: Chapter 3

Directed By: Leigh Whannell

Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, and Lin Shaye

Into the further we go one more time. The Insidious franchise is one I didn't expect to have this kind of longevity. Yes, it's made some money and lined the pockets of studio execs on two separate occasions. Still, it's a franchise that jumped into the fray at what I hope is the tail end of this supernatural phase in the horror genre. Then again, I hold hig...
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REVIEW: In Pitch Perfect 2, The Barden Bellas Riff Off With Junk From Das Sound Machine, the Green Bay Packers & Snoop Dogg's Christmas Album

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 15, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Pitch Perfect 2

Directed By: Elizabeth Banks

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, Hailee Steinfeld, and Chrissie Fit

The best critics should have the wisdom to acknowledge when they're wrong. Well, it's time to acknowledge that I got it wrong with regard to the 2012 sleeper hit Pitch Perfect. I saw the original as an earnest but not-so-funny affair. Looking back, I have to disagree with my 2012 self and say that the film bursts with a b...

REVIEW: A Near Miss at 87 Degrees, The Age of Adaline Needs An Electric Jolt Just Like the Dilla Comet

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 25, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Age of Adaline

Directed By: Lee Toland Krieger

Starring: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew, Harrison Ford, and Ellen Burstyn

It's the quiet before the storm at the box office this weekend. The summer movie season is right around the corner! Earth's mightiest heroes are leading the charge. Avengers: Age of Ultron is almost here ladies and gentlemen. On this fateful weekend, we have just one new mainstream flick entering the fray, one that could potentially serve as c...
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REVIEW: The Longest Ride – Romance, Art And The Toughest Sport On Dirt

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Longest Ride
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: George Tillman, Jr.

Starring: Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood, Jack Huston, Oona Chaplin, Alan Alda, Melissa Benoist, and Lolita Davidovich

Nicholas Sparks is well known for romance novels that can be easily converted into date night movies. The films based on Sparks’ bestselling novels always find an audience. With dreamy leading men and sweeping love stories, Sparks wins over audiences despite the predictability of his tales. The Longest Ride i...
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REVIEW: For Ramsey, A Supercar & the God's Eye Chip, Double Alpha Roman Almost Leads Furious 7 to Unleash the Beast

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 4, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Furious 7

Directed By: James Wan

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou, and Jason Statham

With seven movies over fifteen years, the Fast & Furious franchise has certainly had a lengthy run on the big screen. Still, it doesn't look like this series is riding into the sunset anytime soon. Unfortunately for all those who loved Dom's family as we know it, we lost one of its core members. ...
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REVIEW: Insurgent – Action-Packed, But Tris Is A Little Too Fast For Her Own Good

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, March 22, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Divergent Series: Insurgent
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Robert Schwentke

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Octavia Spencer, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, and Ashley Judd

With the flood of young adult film adaptations in theaters, it has become increasingly difficult for popular book series to stand out. Last year’s Divergent, however, was a surprise success. While Divergent did not reach Hunger Games’ he...
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REVIEW: If We Run All Night With Jimmy the Gravedigger Conlon, We'll Cross This Line Together

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 14, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Run All Night

Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Common, Ed Harris, Génesis Rodríguez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Boyd Holbrook, and Nick Nolte

"Wherever we're going, we'll cross this line together."
-Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris)

It's abundantly clear that Taken marked a turning point in Liam Neeson's career. As Bryan Mills, he became the action star we know and love today. Well, he may be getting ready to arrive at another turning point in his career. In a recent inte...
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REVIEW: No Longer Tetravaal's Scout 22, Black Sheep Chappie Becomes the Conscious RoboCop Copycat of 2015

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 8, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Chappie

Directed By: Neill Blomkamp

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Watkin Tudor Jones, Yolandi Visser, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sigourney Weaver, and Hugh Jackman

There's a fine line between a director utilizing recurring stylistic flourishes throughout his or her filmography and a director doing the same thing over and over again expecting the same success time and time again. Neill Blomkamp is flirting with this line. His first film District 9 focused on aliens living in the slums of a fut...
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REVIEW: Seniors Galore, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Is All About the Supreme Quality Hotel and the Viceroy Club

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 7, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Directed By: John Madden

Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Tena Desae, David Strathairn, Tamsin Greig, and Richard Gere

Independent films are back on the market! With the awards season having reached its conclusion, it's time for the nominees to begin trickling out of theaters and for fresh original content to begin trickling in. To get things started, we're going back to a familiar plac...
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REVIEW: Creative Comedy Is What We Vampires Do in the Shadows During the Unholy Masquerade

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 27, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

What We Do in the Shadows

Directed By: Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement

Starring: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, and Stu Rutherford

Vampire movies have been getting increasingly creative over the last several years. 2013's Kiss of the Damned wasn't particularly enjoyable, but it certainly broke the mold for vampire flicks. Last year's post-modern drama Only Lovers Left Alive gave us some cool vampires portrayed by Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddlesto...
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REVIEW: Uno, Dos, Tres. The McFarland Cougars Fly Like Blackbirds With Blanco Cross-Country Coach Jim White Guiding Them

Posted by James Brown on Monday, February 23, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

McFarland, USA

Directed By: Niki Caro

Starring: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, and Morgan Saylor

After his turn as Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel a year and half ago, I was intrigued by the prospect of Kevin Costner getting active on the big screen again. While he delivered a heartfelt performance as the DC Universe began to get its act together, every performance Costner has given since has been a play on his manly on-screen persona. He gave us the blunt spy Kevin Costner in Jack Ryan: Shadow Rec...
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REVIEW: The DUFF = Designated Ugly Fat Friend Plus the Five Stages of Grief in High School from the Eyes & Monster Voice of Bianca Piper

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 21, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The DUFF

Directed By: Ari Sandel

Starring: Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Bianca A. Santos, Allison Janney, Romany Malco, and Ken Jeong

Thirty years ago this week, John Hughes introduced us to a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal in the most entertaining detention of all time. Thirty years ago, Hughes introduced us to his classic coming-of-age comedy-drama The Breakfast Club. With the anniversary of this cinematic heavyweight in mind, I've obviously popped o...
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REVIEW: For Two Days, One Night, Sandra Tries to Sway Her Voting Co-Workers to Save Her Job Instead of Their 1,000 Euro Bonuses

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 31, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Two Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit)

Directed By: Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Starring: Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione

I've been slipping on the foreign film front over the past year. Sadly, I've not seen any of the nominees in the best foreign language film category for the Oscars. It's a real shame because foreign films are often hidden gems that don't get the respect or recognition they deserve. In light of my shortcomings on this front, I'm going to make one last N...
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REVIEW: Before the World Ends at Lollapalooza, Project Almanac's David Raskin Will Build a Halfway Decent Time Machine for MIT

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 30, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Project Almanac

Directed By: Dean Israelite

Starring: Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista, and Virginia Gardner

It's Super Bowl weekend! That means it's time for me to win some money on the big game. That also means that no one cares about the movies this weekend with the possible exception of diehard aficionados such as myself. As fate would have it on one of the quietest weekends at the box office historically, 2015 is a bit of déjà vu. Three years ago, we had...
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REVIEW: The Boy Next Door – A Surprisingly Entertaining Guilty Pleasure

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, January 24, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Boy Next Door
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Rob Cohen

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett, Kristen Chenoweth, and Ian Nelson

I may be a lone voice, but I actually enjoyed The Boy Next Door. Before you start hurling rotten tomatoes at my head in the “Comments” section, let me explain myself. I went into The Boy Next Door with low expectations. From the film’s trailer, it seemed reminiscent of Jennifer Lopez’s Enough. I was concerned that this would come across as a mo...
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REVIEW: Inherent Vice – Great Cast, Great Hair, But Long, Rambling Plot

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, January 10, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Inherent Vice
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Sasha Pieterse, Jena Malone, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, and Martin Short

As the credits rolled at the end of Inherent Vice, the patrons in my audience remained in their seats, confused and uncertain. After two and a half hours of the hippie detective dramedy, we were left wondering what it is we had just seen and what, if ...
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REVIEW: To Pull Off the Golden Tux, North Dakota Wedding Ringer Bic Mitchum Puts the Weed in the Coconut and Lights That Sh*t Up

Posted by James Brown on Monday, January 5, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Wedding Ringer

Directed By: Jeremy Garelick

Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Olivia Thirlby, Jenifer Lewis, Whitney Cummings, Cloris Leachman, and Ken Howard

By the time I actually post this review, I'll most likely be holed up and recovering from abdominal surgery. I'll be out of commission and away from my beloved big screen. With this in mind, I'll probably be in need of a good laugh. In anticipation of this, I've tried to knock out a flick or two prior to going do...
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REVIEW: In Big Eyes, S. Cenic & MDH Keane Suffer the Same Fate, Walter Keane

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 28, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Big Eyes

Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Jon Polito, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, and Terence Stamp

I've said it a couple of times already, but I feel compelled to say it again. This Christmas at the box office has sucked. Where have all the good movies gone? Normally, there are a couple of movies that alter my choices on the year's best films at the last minute. Normally, there are potential awards season powerhouses arriving right about now...
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REVIEW: Despite Some Engaging Blackjack, Roulette, & English 101, The Gambler Doesn't Quite Reach the F*ck You Position

Posted by James Brown on Friday, December 26, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Gambler

Directed By: Rupert Wyatt

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Michael K. Williams, and Jessica Lange

Some of you may know this already, but I'm getting ready for abdominal surgery in the next week and a half. I'll be out of commission for some time and will be handing over the STMR reins to the Sober Film Chick for a while. One of the many reasons for which I'm having the surgery so early in the year is so that I can make my annual trip to Las Vegas in late February...
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REVIEW: To Rescue His Exhibits After A Disastrous Night at the Museum, Dangly Bells Larry Digs Into the Secret of the Egyptian Tomb & Its Magic Tablet

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 21, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Directed By: Shawn Levy

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson, Ricky Gervais, and Ben Kingsley

Sometimes, it can be difficult to disentangle life from art. What I mean by this is that it can be challenging to watch a film outside the lens of real world events, even if they have absolutely nothing to do with the tale at hand. This is definitely the case for me with Night at the Museum: Secret of the To...
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REVIEW: Hiking A Thousand Miles Through the Pacific Crest Trail, Wild Queen of the PCTs Cheryl Strayed Chooses One Tough Form of Therapy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 6, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Wild

Directed By: Jean-Marc Vallée

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, and Gaby Hoffmann

This may sound completely random, but I do my best thinking in the shower. My best ideas have come when the hot water is flowing, and there are no distractions chipping away at me. For me, the only thing that comes close to this is taking a leisurely stroll. When I'm out in nature getting some fresh air, great thoughts just come to me. That's why I get Cheryl Strayed’s need to get...
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REVIEW: In The Homesman, George Briggs & Mary Bee Cuddy Take Three Crazy Women East to Iowa

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 26, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Homesman

Directed By: Tommy Lee Jones

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, William Fichtner, Grace Gummer, John Lithgow, Tim Blake Nelson, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, James Spader, Hailee Steinfeld, and Meryl Streep

On paper, Tommy Lee Jones and westerns go together like peas and carrots. He's exactly the kind of rugged, no nonsense actor who would thrive in the Wild West. With an elite cast featuring beloved thespians Hilary Swank, James Spader, and the great Meryl Streep, Jones's we...
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REVIEW: An Ornithologist, Philatelist, & Philanthropist, Golden Eagle John du Pont Leads Wrestler Mark Schultz to Olympic Gold at the Foxcatcher Estate

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 23, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Foxcatcher

Directed By: Bennett Miller

Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Vanessa Redgrave

I don't know the story of John du Pont. I was just a kid when the multimillionaire wrestling enthusiast committed the heinous acts that made his name infamous. Not an Olympics enthusiast, I'm not terribly familiar with Mark or Dave Schultz either. Alas, the only gold medalist in the wrestling space with whom I'm familiar is Mr. Kurt Angle. I know. I should know more, but it mak...
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REVIEW: In The Hunger Games, Mockingjay Katniss Gets the Burning Districts to Come to the Tree Singing So That the Capitol Burns With Us

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland

"Miss Everdeen, it is the things we love most that destroy us."
-President Snow (Donald Sutherland)

The consequences of Warner Bros. decision to split Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two theatrical installments still echo today as ot...
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REVIEW: Laggies Is All About Relationships Shifting Over Boxed Wine

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 2, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Laggies

Directed By: Lynn Shelton

Starring: Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell, Kaitlyn Dever, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, Mark Webber, and Daniel Zovatto

It's Halloween weekend, and there doesn't seem to be a film out that's I would venture to call a fright fest. Halloween only falls on a Friday every five or six years. With this in mind, we should have more than a 10th anniversary re-release of Saw. There should be some new sicko or psycho terrorizing theaters. As it stands,...
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REVIEW: With His Company Video Production News, Nightcrawler Louis Bloom Offers A Professional News Gathering Service to Thriller Aficionados

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 1, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Nightcrawler

Directed By: Dan Gilroy

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton

I'm starting to think that Jake Gyllenhaal has been pigeonholing himself in the thriller genre over the last several years. Since 2012, he's appeared in End of Watch, Prisoners, and now Nightcrawler, all dark movies in their own ways. Though Prisoners was one of the outstanding films of 2013, it hasn't all been quality output from Gyllenhaal. While many moviegoers would go to bat for his tur...
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REVIEW: Dear White People, the Race Wars at Winchester University Showcase the Trouble with Pastiche's Blackface in a White Place

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, October 29, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Dear White People

Directed By: Justin Simien

Starring: Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P. Bell, Kyle Gallner, Brittany Curran, Dennis Haysbert, and Marque Richardson

This has been a very interesting couple of weeks in cinema. Last week, we had the jazz drama Whiplash, a film very personal to me that reminds me of my foray into the world of percussion years ago. As it stands, I have another film very personal to me in a very different way in this weekend's Dear Whi...
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REVIEW: With Comedic Pride, Lesbians & Gays Support the Miners (L.G.S.M.)

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Pride

Directed By: Matthew Warchus

Starring: Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine, Ben Schnetzer, and George MacKay

I don't normally talk about LGBT rights, but it's been an eventful week on the gay marriage front. I am not a proponent of homosexuality. However, I am a proponent of people having the free will to do whatever they believe as long as it does no harm to others. The Supreme Court I typically love to hate surprised me and, for all intents and purposes, legaliz...
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REVIEW: Protecting His Legacy On the Bench & His Half-Staff Funeral, Judge Joe Palmer Doesn't Serve Justice or Go Fishing With His Son Hank

Posted by James Brown on Friday, October 10, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Judge

Directed By: David Dobkin

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shepard, and Billy Bob Thornton

Everyone to whom I've spoken seems excited about The Judge, except me. I've been cautiously optimistic about the film. With its high voltage of star power, this movie could be great or just decent. The Academy Award winners and nominees in the cast alone send the expectations through the roof for this presumed Oscar bait. Still, ...
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REVIEW: To Be The Equalizer For Russians Teddy & Pushkin, Old Man & Gladys Knight Pip Robert McCall Gets On That Midnight Train to Georgia

Posted by James Brown on Friday, September 26, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Equalizer

Directed By: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, and Melissa Leo

Television and cinema are inextricably bound to one another. As such, there are numerous examples in which stories are brought to life across the two media. Some success on the big screen can foreshadow future success on the smaller one. Take the Marvel Cinematic Universe for instance. The success of The Avengers has created a home for its fol...
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REVIEW: The Maze Runner – W.C.K.D Is Good, But Watch Out For The Grievers

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, September 21, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Maze Runner
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Wes Ball

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Kaya Scodelario

After the success of The Hunger Games, the Twilight series, and Divergent, studios are constantly looking for the next big young adult film craze. The right YA book adaptation can be highly lucrative. James Dashner’s The Maze Runner is the latest young adult book brought to the big screen. While the success of The Maze Runner is sti...
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REVIEW: If Tragedy Is A Foreign Country, Then The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Walks Away From Learning Its Native Tongue

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 21, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

Directed By: Ned Benson

Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Viola Davis, William Hurt, Isabelle Huppert, Jess Weixler, Bill Hader, Ciarán Hinds, Archie Panjabi, Katherine Waterston, and Nina Arianda

Companion films are in this year, at least for indie cinema. Veteran filmmaker Lars von Trier was bent on releasing his steamy Nymphomaniac: Parts 1 and 2 to the world this spring. Similarly, first-time director Ned Benson was bent on releasing twin f...
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REVIEW: With A Cheating Wife & A Complicated Life, This Is Where I Leave You At the Altman Family Shiva South of Maine

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 20, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

This Is Where I Leave You

Directed By: Shawn Levy

Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, Ben Schwartz, and Jane Fonda

For a director, Shawn Levy has relatively high productivity. Just look at his throughput. Since 2011, he's given us Real Steel, The Internship, the upcoming Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, and several made-for-television movies. That's a busy schedule as a director, and it's...
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REVIEW: In Dolphin Tale 2, Clearwater's Rescue, Rehab, & Release Philosophy Isn't Perfect for Dolphins Hope and Winter

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 13, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Dolphin Tale 2

Directed By: Charles Martin Smith

Starring: Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, and Morgan Freeman

I'm no adoring fan of the Dolphin Tale franchise, but the rescue, rehab, and release principle by which the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) operates is something Hollywood should consider as part of its own strategy. It may help with the weak year studios have had at the North American box office. CMA rescues injured animals, rehab...

REVIEW: In The Last of Robin Hood, Alcoholic Errol Flynn Is Too Old For Lover Beverly "Woodsy" Aadland, But She's Just Young Enough For Him

Posted by James Brown on Monday, September 8, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Last of Robin Hood

Directed By: Richard Glatzer

Starring: Kevin Kline, Dakota Fanning, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Kane, Max Casella, and Patrick St. Esprit

Biographical dramas are sometimes tricky beasts. If the individual is particularly well known, directors must convince moviegoers that their vision is historically accurate. The key is to have an actor who looks, walks, and talks like the main character. Some of this is dependent upon the costume and make-up crew members on deck, but the ...

REVIEW: Thanks to the Philosopher's Stone, As Above, So Below, As I Believe the World to Be, So It Is in Hell

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 30, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

As Above, So Below

Directed By: John Erick Dowdle

Starring: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, and François Civil

Summer 2014 is coming to a close. The excitement I put forth back in May when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 arrived hasn't materialized into a wealth of big budget blockbusters behind which we all can rally. While I have lauded smaller films like Chef, Snowpiercer, and Boyhood, we peaked too early with films like Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past. It's been downhill ever s...
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REVIEW: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – A Heavy Dose Of Scantily Clad Women And Highly Stylized Violence

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, August 24, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Powers Boothe, Dennis Haysbert, Jeremy Piven, Ray Liotta, Stacy Keach, and Jamie Chung

After seeing the misogynistic train wreck that was Machete Kills, I was not clamoring for another star-studded sequel from Robert Rodriguez. While the original Sin City was creative and slick...
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REVIEW: In If I Stay, Juilliard-Bound Cellist Mia Must Choose Between Her Nasty Bruises Rocker Parents & Her Willamette Stone Boyfriend Adam

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 24, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

If I Stay

Directed By: R. J. Cutler

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Joshua Leonard, Stacy Keach, and Jamie Blackley

“Here's the secret baby. If you live, if you die, it's all up to you. So whatever fight you got in you, you gotta pull it out now.”
-Surgeon (Uncredited)

I was able to dodge The Fault In Our Stars earlier this year. I have no interest whatsoever in depressing, melodramatic YA adaptations like this. The sole intention of a film of this nature is to tug at the hea...
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REVIEW: Since It's Shocking to Kill a Good Priest, Calvary Is All About Brendan Gleeson's Father James Lavelle Dodging Death

Posted by James Brown on Monday, August 11, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Calvary

Directed By: John Michael McDonagh

Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, and Dylan Moran

"Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved.
Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned.”
-St. Augustine

The Catholic Church has had a serious scandal on its hands for more than a decade now. The atrocities done to innocent children over the years will haunt the victims for the remainder of their lives and the church until the end of its days. That being said, the...
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REVIEW: In The Hundred-Foot Journey, Chef Hassan Turns Food Into Memories & A Michelin Star When He Makes Madame Mallory an Omelet

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 10, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Directed By: Lasse Halström

Starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, and Charlotte Le Bon

There aren't a whole lot of fictional movies out there about the culinary arts. Jon Favreau's Chef was a breath of fresh air earlier this summer. Julie & Julia and Ratatouille also come to mind when I reflect on the past decade, but not much else. Cooking-themed movies are a rare cinematic delight that must be savored. That's why I came to this weekend's The Hundred-Foot ...
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REVIEW: What If Friends Wallace & Chantry Share Elvis's Fool's Gold Sandwich?

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 10, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

What If (The F Word)

Directed By: Michael Dowse

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, and Rafe Spall

I'm not a perfect model of health, but sometimes we invite health issues with the things we consume. Take famed balladeer Luther Vandross. During his lifetime, the R&B singer concocted a devilish delight known as the Luther Burger (also known as the doughnut burger). This hamburger / cheeseburger is slapped right between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts rat...
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REVIEW: Hercules – A Twist To The Legend Of Hercules

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, July 27, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Hercules

SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Brett Ratner

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell, Reece Ritchie, Peter Mullan, and Joseph Fiennes

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has had an incredibly interesting acting career. After going too far astray from his action hero chops with films like The Tooth Fairy, Johnson rebooted his career with a new agent and has become one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. Starring in the Fast and Furious franchises, the G.I. Joe series,...

REVIEW: A Most Wanted Man Stumbles About Hamburg for Two Hours In Search of Terrorist Charity Seven Friends Navigation Company

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 27, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

A Most Wanted Man

Directed By: Anton Corbijn

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Brühl, Nina Hoss, and Robin Wright

The world is still reeling over the loss of the great Philip Seymour Hoffman earlier this year. He was truly one terrific actor who could elevate the caliber of a film with his mere presence on screen. With the passing of any celebrated artist who was still in the game at the time of his or her death, fans typically flock to theaters to see tha...
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REVIEW: With Séances, Mental Impressions, & Floating Candles, Magic in the Moonlight Pits Illusionist Wei Ling Soo Against Spiritualist Sophie Baker

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 26, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Magic in the Moonlight

Directed By: Woody Allen

Starring: Emma Stone, Colin Firth, Hamish Linklater, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Erica Leerhsen, Eileen Atkins, and Simon McBurney

I was probably one of the few movie bloggers who was on the West Coast this week but not in San Diego. As I was departing Seattle on Friday morning, I pondered all the fun movie buffs are having in Hall H right about now. Alas, I'm back on the East Coast, and I've got movies to review. Given that I'm slated to c...
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REVIEW: Biking Through the Nevada Desert in Earth to Echo, Tuck, Alex & Munch Beep a Bit Too Much

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 5, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Earth to Echo

Directed By: Dave Green

Starring: Teo Halm, Brian "Astro" Bradley, Reese C. Hartwig, and Ella Wahlestedt

This Fourth of July has brought us all sorts of movies at the mainstream box office, just not particularly great ones. While Deliver Us From Evil offers a rather routine possession flick, Melissa McCarthy's Tammy offers a waste of money we all can loathe. The remaining film I've yet to review is Earth to Echo. Now admittedly, I've held off on writing this review. The film is ...
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REVIEW: To Deliver Us From Evil, Sergeant Ralph Sarchie Must Use His Radar, His Discernment of Spirits, to Stop Mick "Jungler" Santino #Invocamus

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 4, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Deliver Us From Evil

Directed By: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Sean Harris, and Joel McHale

"Invocamus Vi Ingredi Ab Inferi”

Hollywood hasn't figured out what to do after the success of the horror genre in 2013. In a reactionary move to box office gold, they're mostly releasing halfway decent movies from a singular niche genre, possession films. Just look at the slew of flicks we've had featuring demons trying to make their way into the world. They incl...
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REVIEW: In Begin Again, Two Lost Stars Wade Through the Strings of the Music Industry to Record a Pearl, An Outdoor Album in NYC

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, July 3, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Begin Again

Directed By: John Carney

Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, James Corden, Cee Lo Green, Catherine Keener, and Mos Def

This year has yielded some solid films, but it undoubtedly pales in comparison to 2013, and even more so to 2012. We just haven't had a consistent wave of quality films hitting the box office. As we approach the Fourth of July holiday weekend, I hope we have a few solid summer flicks in the works. The first film I've opted to ta...
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REVIEW: In Australian Western The Rover, Three Robbers Get a Bloody Lesson in Why Not to Steal Another Man's Car

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Rover

Directed By: David Michôd

Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, and Scoot McNairy

I've been begging for something fresh and original over the last several weeks. In my reviews of The Signal, The Grand Seduction, and Think Like a Man Too, I've been critical of filmmakers for not taking the road less traveled and offering up the same old predictable, formulaic stuff. Well, my wish is apparently director David Michôd's command. His latest film, The Rover is unlike anything I've seen...
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REVIEW: 2.3.5.41...The Signal at Area 51 is What MIT Student Nick Eastman Finds When He Goes Looking for the Hacker Nomad

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 14, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Signal

Directed By: William Eubank

Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp, and Lin Shaye

Alien movies are a dime a dozen. Just think about it. In the last couple of months, we've had the likes of Under the Skin and Edge of Tomorrow. We have the likes of Earth to Echo, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Guardians of the Galaxy in the coming weeks. This makes it especially difficult to craft an exceptional alien flick. After all, what can top E.T. phoni...
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REVIEW: Work Hard? Yes. Play Hard? Yes. 22 Jump Street Is All About the WHYPHY

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 14, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

22 Jump Street

Directed By: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Dave Franco, and Rob Riggle

Channing Tatum has been in entertainment headlines quite a bit lately. With his miscasting as Gambit in future X-Men films, the unfortunate prospect of a sequel to the completely unnecessary Magic Mike, and the surprise delay in the release of the Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending, it suffices to say that there's a lot happening with...
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REVIEW: The Fault in Our Stars – Teenagers Swoon As Hazel And Gus Bond Over An Imperial Affliction

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 7, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Fault in Our Stars
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Josh Boone

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, and Willem Dafoe

Viewing The Fault in Our Stars was a traumatic experience. Not because of the content of the film, but because I was trapped in a theater with hundreds of girls ranging from eleven to sixteen years old who had read and apparently memorized John Green’s novel. I was spared seeing the Twilight films in theaters, so I was wholly unprepared...
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REVIEW: Facing Deportation & Losing Her Sister Magda on Ellis Island to Tuberculosis, The Immigrant Ewa Turns to Bruno & the Bandits' Roost Theater

Posted by James Brown on Monday, May 26, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Immigrant

Directed By: James Gray

Starring: Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner

Because I get the pleasure of reviewing both mainstream and independent flicks, some movies are just ill-timed. Take The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for instance. Though a fun, wonderful film, it wasn't exactly the movie to see the same day as The Avengers. Lincoln wasn't exactly the most riveting film to follow up Skyfall either. On the weekend of X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Immigrant is ...
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REVIEW: Mr. JB Bernstein Channels His Inner Don Draper to Launch Million Dollar Arm & Make Dreams Come True for Rinku Singh & Dinesh Kumar Patel

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 11, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Million Dollar Arm

Directed By: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Lake Bell, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Pitobash, Allyn Rachel, and Alan Arkin

I'm not a fan of splitting up the finale of a movie or a television show. It's just another way for studios to milk the proverbial cash cow. There was no real need for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2. There was no need for seasons 5A and 5B of Breaking Bad. There's no need for two The Hunger Games: Mocking...
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REVIEW: Pumping Concrete for His Building & Driving to See His Newborn Baby Out of Wedlock, Locke Rocks...Just a Little

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 11, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Locke

Directed By: Steven Knight

Starring: Tom Hardy

I'm a huge proponent of bold, innovative filmmaking. I'm all for writers and directors tapping into their creative juices to bring us unique cinematic visions that blow moviegoers away. That's why I've been so intrigued with Steven Knight's indie drama Locke. The concept of a movie taking place solely from the front wheel of a car is undoubtedly challenging, but I believed it could be far more rewarding when I first learned of the film. It ...
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REVIEW: With Roosevelt's Secret Station & Oscorp's Special Projects Division, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Is No Happy Birthday for Max / Sparkles / Electro

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 2, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Directed By: Marc Webb

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Paul Giamatti, and Sally Field

The summer blockbuster season has arrived! With it, we can now say goodbye to horrendous flicks like Devil's Due, A Haunted House 2, and Brick Mansions while saying hello to the likes of Godzilla, Maleficent, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. As I noted in my review of Captain America: The Wi...
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REVIEW: The Alan Partridge & Pat Farrell Radio Show & Siege Is Predicated Upon the Words "Just Sack Pat"

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 20, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Alan Partridge: The Movie (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa)

Directed By: Declan Lowney

Starring: Steve Coogan and Colm Meaney

It's been a rather sparse year for the comedy genre as a whole. The only good one to have arrived at the box office this year is Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel. Considering about a third of the year is now in our collective rearview mirror, having just one notable comedy is not saying much at all. With the summer movie season looming, there's always hope that some ...
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REVIEW: Thanks to a Map, a Radio, & Hellacious Torture, Railway Man Eric Lomax & Japanese Interpreter Takashi Nagase Become Good Friends

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 20, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Railway Man

Directed By: Jonathan Teplitzky

Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, Stellan Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Tanroh Ishida

“At the beginning of time the clock struck one
Then dropped the dew and the clock struck two
From the dew grew a tree and the clock struck three
The tree made a door and the clock struck four
Man came alive and the clock struck five
Count not, waste not the years on the clock
Behold I stand at the door and knock.”
-Eric Lomax (Colin Firth)

If any...
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REVIEW: For Crossroads Wesleyan Church Pastor Todd Burpo Heaven Is for Real When the Angels Sing to His Son Colton Like the Lion, the Bear & the Unicorn

Posted by James Brown on Friday, April 18, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Heaven Is for Real

Directed By: Randall Wallace

Starring: Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Connor Corum, Jacob Vargas, Nancy Sorel, Thomas Haden Church, and Margo Martindale

It's been a big year for Christian moviegoers. Though many balked at the prospect of Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic Noah, there have been a slew of other religious films aimed at churchgoing viewers. Back in February, Jesus performed a miracle or two in Son of God. In the month of March, Hercules became an atheist to debate ...
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REVIEW: Thanks to the Lasser Glass in Oculus, Tim and Kaylie Confront Their' Bloody, Troubled Childhood Right in the Mirror

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 13, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Oculus

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Starring: Katee Sackhoff, Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, Annalise Basso, and Garrett Ryan

In the horror department, 2014 has some big shoes to fill. In the wake of a diverse slate of films back in 2013 including You're Next, The Conjuring, and The Purge, scary movie lovers rightfully have some pretty high expectations. Considering flicks like Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and Devil's Due, this year's entries into the genre have missed th...
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REVIEW: During Le Week-End, Nick & Meg Do the Madison Dance From Jean-Luc Godard’s Bande à part All Throughout Paris

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, April 2, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Le Week-End

Directed By: Roger Michell

Starring: Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, and Jeff Goldblum

A rainy weekend means one thing for most people — staying at home and getting some R&R. Whether burying ourselves in movies, video games, or nice fluffy pillows, I'm sure we all are finding some way to enjoy the rainy weather. For me, the rain drops falling means the same old stuff. I'm headed to the movies to check out the latest and greatest in theaters. The latest, but not exactly the great...
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REVIEW: Divergent – There Is A Certain Beauty In Dauntless Stiff Tris’s Resistance to the Principle of Faction Over Blood

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Divergent

SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Neil Burger

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Maggie Q, and Kate Winslet

Another young adult book series has been given the big screen treatment. With the success of The Hunger Games, the Twilight series and Harry Potter, studios are constantly searching for the next big thing. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Beautiful Creatures are two recent unsuccessful adaptat...

REVIEW: To Win the Golden Quill National Spelling Bee, 40 Year-Old Guy Trilby Uses Quite a Few Bad Words

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Bad Words

Directed By: Jason Bateman

Starring: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Phillip Baker Hall, Ben Falcone, Rachael Harris, and Rohan Chand

Spelling bees aren't the riveting stuff that make movies great. It takes a strong director and an equally strong cast to pull off a movie about a bee. After all, every film can't be Akeelah and the Bee and make the orthography of the word "xanthosis" thrilling cinematic material. That's why there have been so few movies about the world of...
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REVIEW: Whether a Hungry Tiger or a Deformed Tree on a Hill Named Fido, Nymphomaniac Joe Tells Us 3 + 5 = 8 All Over Again in Volume II

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 22, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Nymphomaniac: Volume II

Directed By: Lars von Trier

Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Bell, Stacy Martin, Mia Goth, Michael Pas, and Shia LaBeouf

Lars von Trier's Trilogy of Depression is no longer really a trilogy. With the unedited cut of Nymphomaniac topping five hours, this movie was destined from the beginning to require two parts. This means that the Danish sex addiction drama has had twice as many chances to ruffle the feathers of more socially cons...
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REVIEW: Accepting the Mud But Not the Pirate Pride, Addict Veronica Mars Returns to Life as a Sleuth Thanks to Bonnie DeVille's Serendipity

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 16, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Veronica Mars

Directed By: Rob Thomas

Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Krysten Ritter, Ryan Hansen, Francis Capra, Percy Daggs III, Chris Lowell, Tina Majorino, and Enrico Colantoni

Networks can be cruel when it comes to scheduling their primetime lineups. We've all had television shows that were gone too soon courtesy of that greedy old cancellation bear. For me, shows that come to mind are ABC's endlessly inventive fantasy murder procedural Pushing Daisies or NBC's little show that cou...
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REVIEW: Mr. Peabody, Sherman, & Penny Rip Open the Space-Time Continuum With the WABAC Because George Washington Didn't Chop Down a Cherry Tree

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 8, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Directed By: Rob Minkoff

Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Leslie Mann, and Stephen Colbert

Children are taking over the box office we all know and love. Every time I turn around, there's a new movie for them in theaters. What happened to the good old days when they used to have a handful of flicks during the summer? What happened to the good old days when Hollywood was fixated on the 18-49 demographic and not their children? This year already, we've seen...
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REVIEW: With Stout Wooden Ships & A Tidal Wave of Heroes' Blood, Themistocles Unites a Free Greece Against the Rise of Artemisia's Empire & Can Sit at the Table

Posted by James Brown on Friday, March 7, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

300: Rise of an Empire

Directed By: Noam Murro

Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, and Rodrigo Santoro

"It begins as a whisper... a promise... the lightest of breezes dances above the death cries of 300 men. That breeze became a wind. A wind that my brothers have sacrificed. A wind of freedom... a wind of justice... a wind of vengeance."
-Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey)

With the Oscars now in our rearview mirror, we can fully focus on what lies ahead this year. More ...
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REVIEW: The Broken Circle Breakdown – A Heart-Wrenching Tale of Love, Loss, Religion and Bluegrass

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 1, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Broken Circle Breakdown
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Felix Van Groeningen

Starring: Veerle Baetens, Johan Heldenbergh, Nell Cattrysse, Geert Van Rampelberg

President Barack Obama once said that having a child is like having your heart walking around outside of your body. That comment always struck me. When you have a son or a daughter, you become vulnerable and exposed because of your overwhelming love for that child. As a parent, your worst fear is that some type of harm will come to your...
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REVIEW: In Non-Stop, Air Marshal Bill's Magic Blue Ribbon Isn't a Bad Defense from Terrorists Who'll Kill a Passenger Every 20 Minutes for $150MM

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 1, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Non-Stop

Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Nate Parker, Michelle Dockery, Linus Roache, Scoot McNairy, and Corey Stoll

"Someone on this flight is threatening to kill someone every 20 minutes, unless $150 million is transferred to this account number."
-Bill Marks (Liam Neeson)

Year after year, Liam Neeson continues to cash in on the success of his 2008 action thriller Taken. We've seen this guy — who was once considered a more dramatic actor — try to chann...
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REVIEW: Thérèse and Laurent Don't Make a Sound & Keep Quiet In Their Secret Affair

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 23, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

In Secret

Directed By: Charlie Stratton

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac, and Jessica Lange

I've shied away from indie cinema for the last several weeks or so. Things typically remain quiet on this front during the awards season. Sure, I've missed a couple of foreign flicks such as Gloria and Like Father, Like Son, but indie theaters have primarily been screening awards darlings like Her, Dallas Buyers Club, and 12 Years a Slave. Given that the awards season is coming to an ...
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REVIEW: About Last Night – Kevin Hart Plays Lando Calrissian To Michael Ealy’s Vader In This Sexy Romantic Comedy

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, February 18, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

About Last Night
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Steve Pink

Starring: Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Adam Rodriguez, and Paula Patton

Kevin Hart is without question the comedian of the moment. With sold out arenas for his comedy tour across the country, a hit television show on BET, and his appearance in every movie trailer imaginable, Hart is clearly riding high. 2014 has already started out with a bang for Hart with his hit movie Ride Along, which has grossed $116 million dome...
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REVIEW: In the Matter of OmniCorp Vs. the Dreyfuss Act, RoboCop Alex Murphy Wins With an Assist from The Novak Element

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 14, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

RoboCop

Directed By: José Padilha

Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, and Jay Baruchel

I'm very much looking forward to many of the blockbusters in 2014. It's not that Hollywood is breaking new ground, but they are revisiting many of the franchises that have brought us movie magic for generations. Who can turn down a showdown between Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, and Heisenberg, a...
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REVIEW: For the Shadow-Kissed Dhampir Rose Hathaway Bound to Royal Moroi Lissa Dragomir, Weird Doesn't Begin to Cover It in Vampire Academy

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, February 9, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Vampire Academy

Directed By: Mark Waters

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Danila Kozlovsky, Lucy Fry, Dominic Sherwood, Olga Kurylenko, Cameron Monaghan, Sami Gayle, Ashley Charles, Claire Foy, Sarah Hyland, Gabriel Byrne, and Joely Richardson

With the Harry Potter franchise wrapping up almost three years ago and The Hunger Games series concluding in the very near future, studios are on the hunt for the next big literary adaptation. 2013 boasted mostly mediocre additions to the niche genre including Beau...
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REVIEW: Jack Ryan Is a Napoleonic Shadow Recruit Who Meets Us Halfway in Waterloo

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 18, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Directed By: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, and Keira Knightley

After his noble turn as Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel last year, Kevin Costner is trying to make a comeback this year. As of right now, he's got five movies slated for release in 2014. I think he's trying to fill the void of the all-American male movie star. The proof is in the pudding. Next month, Costner will portray a Secret Service agent in action thriller 3 Da...
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REVIEW: Unlike the Movie, Marcus Luttrell, Frogman & Lone Survivor of Operation Red Wings, Is Saved by the Code of Honor Pashtunwali

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 11, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lone Survivor

Directed By: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, and Eric Bana

"There’s a storm inside of us. I’ve heard many team guys speak of this. A burning. A river. A drive. An unrelenting desire to push yourself harder and further than anyone could think possible."
-SO1 Mark Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg)

I try to stay away from other critics' reviews before I see a movie. Every now and then, however, my eyes wander, and I find myself delving into ...
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REVIEW: Despite the Possessed Simon Game, Marked One Jesse Loses It With Anna & One Creepy Coven of Witches in This Paranormal Activity Spinoff

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, January 5, 2014, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Directed By: Christopher B. Landon

Starring: Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz, Richard Cabral, Carlos Pratts, and Gabrielle Walsh

Happy New Year STMR readers! Whether you've travelled, visited family and friends, or just watched some good movies, I hope you've had a holiday season full of much-needed rest and relaxation. As we kick off 2014, we begin things with a horror franchise that was noticeably absent in a banner year for the genre. While movies like The Pu...
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REVIEW: Ground Control to Major Tom! Though Not Adventurous, Brave, or Creative, Ben Stiller Tries to Capture the Quintessence of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 25, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Directed By: Ben Stiller

Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, and Sean Penn

-“To see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to, to draw closer, to see and be amazed.”
LIFE Magazine Motto

Everybody wants to be an actor-director these days. Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen were once the exceptions. Since Ben Affleck took home the Best Picture Oscar for Argo e...
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REVIEW: The Desolation of Smaug Is All About the Burglar Hobbit Stealing the Arkenstone From the King Under the Mountain on Durin Day

Posted by James Brown on Friday, December 13, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, and James Nesbitt

"The lord of silver fountains. The king of carven stone. The king beneath the mountain shall come into his own. And the bells shall ring in gladness at the mountain king's return. But all shall fail in sadness, and the lake will shine and burn."
-Bard the Bowman (Luke E...
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REVIEW: Out Of the Furnace – Although the Acting Is Compelling At Times, This Depressing Tale Has a Bad Ending

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, December 7, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Out of the Furnace
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Scott Cooper

Starring: Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Shepard

Merry Christmas movie lovers! We have hit the second best time of the year for movies. This week is a slow one as it does not contain any big budget releases. During a brief hiatus from blockbusters like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Frozen and the new Hobbit movie, Relativity Media released its dark drama, Out of t...
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REVIEW: Frozen – For The First Time In Forever, A Disney Musical

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Thursday, November 28, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Frozen
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, and Santino Fontana

"That's no blizzard, that's my sister!"
- Anna (Kristen Bell)

Disney has given us the best animated musicals: The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and so much more. However, in recent years, except for The Princess And The Frog, Disney’s animated musicals have been nonexistent. Clever computer animation a la Toy Story...

REVIEW: The Best Man Holiday – A Shirtless Morris Chestnut And Friends Still Have It After “15” Years

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, November 17, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Best Man Holiday
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee

Starring: Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Harold Perrineau, and Eddie Cibrian

2013 has been touted as the year of the African American film renaissance. I am not quite ready to go that far, but it has been an absolute delight to see so many films with African American actors and actresses in lead roles meet critical and/or commercial success. This year, films like Fruitvale S...

REVIEW: With the Imminent Convergence of the Nine Realms and the Aether Released by Jane, Thor and Malekith Rock the Dark World

Posted by James Brown on Friday, November 8, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Thor: The Dark World

Directed By: Alan Taylor

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, and Rene Russo

"Some believe that before the universe, there was nothing. They're wrong. There was darkness...and it has survived."
-Odin (Anthony Hopkins)

Of all the movies I've seen, The Avengers is the only movie wit...
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REVIEW: In How I Live Now, Daisy's Will Power Is Not Quite Enough, Especially When It Comes to Cow Cheese

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

How I Live Now

Directed By: Kevin Macdonald

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Anna Chancellor, George MacKay, and Harley Bird

"If the world doesn't end, that's how I want to be, here with you. And that's how I live now."
-Daisy (Saoirse Ronan)

Romances can kill movies sometimes. The undying need to have repeatedly schmaltzy moments can sap away all the energy on screen. I'm sure there are a million movies that fit this description. The worst ones usually involve teens. When this happens, ...
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REVIEW: Ender’s Game – Wiggin Battles With Salamanders And Dragons Before Entering The Formic Wars

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, November 3, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Ender’s Game
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Gavin Hood

Starring: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, and Ben Kingsley

“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him." – A.E. Wiggin

Ender’s Game is the latest science fiction book series to be converted into a movie. Written by Orson Scott Card, the book was first published in the 1980s. For many years, filmmake...

REVIEW: With Its Secret Formula for Happiness, About Time Takes Us on a Remarkably Fun Ride Through Tim's Extraordinary Ordinary Life

Posted by James Brown on Friday, November 1, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

About Time

Directed By: Richard Curtis

Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, and Margot Robbie

A couple of months ago, I said that the age of romantic comedies was over. As the fall season has demonstrated, I might have to retract my statement. Since then, we've seen British rom com I Give It a Year. We came back stateside last month with the charming indie Enough Said starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the late James Gandolfini. Now, we're headed back across t...
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REVIEW: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa – Irving Zisman And His Grandson Billy Invade Vending Machines, Strip Clubs, Funeral Homes, Parks and Weddings As They Make Their Way Across The Country

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, October 27, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Jeff Tremaine

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, and Georgina Cates

I must confess that I have never seen a Jackass movie before. While I have seen Johnny Knoxville and his cohorts on MTV, I never actually spent money or time on a feature length film. I was pleasantly surprised by Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. The film, though crass and certainly appealing to the lowest common denominator, is quite amusing. Moreover, if ...

REVIEW: Carrie – Margaret And Carrie White Are A Terrifying Mother And Daughter Pair In This Remake Of A Stephen King Classic

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, October 20, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Carrie
SoberfilmChick

Directed by: Kimberly Peirce

Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Gabriella Wilde

Generally, I am not a fan of remakes because they usually end up being a less interesting copycat of an original concept. The story of Carrie, in particular, has been told numerous times via Stephen King’s novel and multiple film and theatrical adaptations. However, with Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce at the helm, this Carrie adaptation shines on its own. ...

REVIEW: Dr. Judith's Adult Children of Divorce Is Not Quite a Bestseller Even With Rick

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 12, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

A.C.O.D.

Directed By: Stu Zicherman

Starring: Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O'Hara, Amy Poehler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clark Duke, Ken Howard, Jessica Alba, and Jane Lynch

There's not a whole lot that's funny right now. We're witnessing the devastating implications of the government shutdown orchestrated by childish House Republicans who do not like green eggs and ham. We may be getting a front row seat to the beginnings of a government-induced recession. On a lighter note, we can...
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REVIEW: During Estate Manager François's Last Harvest, the Land Chooses Philippe to Be Paul's Son & Heir Instead of Martin

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 29, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

You Will Be My Son

Directed By: Gilles Legrand

Starring: Niels Arestrup, Lorànt Deutsch, Nicolas Bridet, Anne Marivin, and Patrick Chesnais

As I've matured, I've made an interesting transition as a drinker. I used to be all about the spirits. I had a love for cocktails and martinis of all kinds. Specifically, I was a gin man. Things have changed as time has marched on. Nowadays, I prefer wine to spirits, especially white wines. I guess the transition to wine happens for a good chunk of us...
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REVIEW: Sex Addiction Comedy Thanks for Sharing Lets Its Inhibitions Run a Little Too Wild

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 21, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Thanks for Sharing

Directed By: Stuart Blumberg

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, Alecia Moore, and Patrick Fugit

Addiction is a rarely funny subject that's often dramatized on the big screen. More often than not, you're going to see films like Flight, Smashed, and Shame hitting theaters when it comes to depicting folks looking to get their latest fix. This weekend, things are a little different. Director Stuart Blumberg and his cast are adding ...
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REVIEW: In Afternoon Delight, Rachel Throws Sex Worker Bomb McKenna on Her Life With Husband Jeff Boyardee

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 7, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Afternoon Delight

Directed By: Jill Soloway

Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch, and Jessica St. Clair

I will never know what it's really like to be a bored homemaker. Beyond the simple fact that I get up and go to work every day, I just can't relate. It certainly doesn't help that I'm a single guy in my twenties. At this point in my life, the closest I'll ever get to understanding the boredom that plagues them is watching a few episodes of Desperate Housewives. With...
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REVIEW: It's Getting Hot in Here at Austenland With Aficionados Jane Erstwhile, Elizabeth Charming, and Henry Nobley

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 24, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Austenland

Directed By: Jerusha Hess

Starring: Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Jennifer Coolidge, Bret McKenzie, Georgia King, James Callis, Jane Seymour, and Ricky Whittle

I'm not a casual fan or a devoted aficionado of beloved novelist Jane Austen, nor do I aspire to be. With this in mind, I wasn't overly enthused with the prospect of checking out indie romantic comedy Austenland, a film entrenched in Austen fandom. It should come as no shock that I have no love lost for Elizabeth Bennet or her roma...
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REVIEW: Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters – Rick Riordan’s Second Book In The Olympians’ Series Comes To Life

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, August 10, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Thor Freudenthal

Starring: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Leven Rambin, Stanley Tucci, and Nathan Fillion

In 2010, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief debuted in theaters and grossed just over $226 million dollars worldwide. The reception to the first installment of the film adaptation of Rick Riordan’s best-selling book series was mixed at best, and it did not have the success of juggernauts li...

REVIEW: In Planes, Farm Boy and Love Machine Dusty Crophopper Takes His Wings Around the Globe, But Not Quite Around Greatness

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 9, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Planes

Directed By: Klay Hall

Starring: Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Priyanka Chopra, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Cedric the Entertainer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Roger Craig Smith, Gabriel Iglesias, John Cleese, Carlos Alazraqui, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Colin Cowherd, Sinbad, Oliver Kalkofe, and Brent Musburger

The unprecedented onslaught of children’s movies continues this weekend with Planes. The spin-off to Cars, which was originally slated for straight-to-VOD release, is hitting theaters now...
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REVIEW: In I Give It a Year, I Never Knew Love Like This Before

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 4, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

I Give It a Year

Directed By: Dan Mazer

Starring: Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris, Simon Baker, Stephen Merchant, Minnie Driver, Jason Flemyng, and Olivia Colman

In my review of Drinking Buddies recently, I wrote about the fact that romance films are an endangered species. Naturally, a romantic comedy hits theaters as soon as I say that. The British rom com I Give It a Year has made its way across the pond, and I just have to say that I never knew love like this before. It's a quirky film ...
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REVIEW: In 2 Guns, Robbing Tres Cruces is Worse Than Robbing the Bank Across the Street From a Diner With the Best Donuts in Three Counties

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 2, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

2 Guns

Directed By: Baltasar Kormâkur

Starring: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, James Marsden, Bill Paxton, Edward James Olmos, and Fred Ward

The summer movie season is starting to wind down. It's been an underwhelming summer to say the least. With bomb after bomb after bomb hitting the box office, we've been continuously disappointed. The duds have included films like After Earth, White House Down, The Lone Ranger, and R.I.P.D. Though there have certainly been standouts lik...
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REVIEW: Drinking Buddies Kate & Luke Act Like Fanatics By Ignoring the Love in the Atmosphere

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Drinking Buddies

Directed By: Joe Swanberg

Starring: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston, and Jason Sudeikis

If this year has proven anything, it's that romance films are all but dead. Just take a good look at the movies of 2013, and see if you can find some grand film with a sweeping romance. You won't find it. At best, you'll find Safe Haven, a watered-down, formulaic imitation of what romance movies once were. Perhaps this is because our rather cynical generation of...
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REVIEW: According to Yashida, The Wolverine is a Ronin, a Samurai Without a Master

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 26, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Wolverine

Directed By: James Mangold

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Will Yun Lee, Brian Tee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, and Famke Janssen

I feel like Marvel and DC Comics have largely taken the year off at the box office. Though Iron Man 3 was thoroughly entertaining, it couldn't hold a candle to 2012's The Avengers. Despite all the pre-release hype, Man of Steel didn't live up to its potential. While Thor 2 is on the way this fall, ...
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REVIEW: Turbo – That Snail Is Fast

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, July 22, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Turbo
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: David Soren

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Rodriguez, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ken Jeong

2013 has undoubtedly been a huge year for 3D cartoon adventures. In past years, there has typically been one, possibly two big animated films. But now, it feels like they’re hitting theaters every week. In a fairly short timeframe, The Croods, Epic, Despicable Me 2, and Monsters University have all arrived at the b...
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REVIEW: In The Conjuring, Demonologist & Clairvoyant Ed & Lorraine Warren Endure Infestation, Oppression, & Possession With Witch Bathsheba

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 19, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Conjuring

Directed By: James Wan

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Mackenzie Foy, and Joey King

The slate of horror movies at the box office has actually impressed me this year. There's largely been a step away from the outright torture porn that’s dominated the genre in recent years and a step toward what perhaps may be the next generation of horror films. With Evil Dead earlier this spring and Carrie later in the fall, remakes sadly aren't going anywh...
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REVIEW: Unfortunately for Vampires Clara and Eleanor, Neil Jordan Throws the Pages of Their Story at Byzantium to the Wind

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 14, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Byzantium

Directed By: Neil Jordan

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley, Jonny Lee Miller, and Caleb Landry Jones

As prevalent as vampire movies are, it's difficult to find a good one. The ones we've gotten in recent years say enough. Just go torture yourself with Twilight, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, or Kiss of the Damned. Like the horror genre as a whole, it's bad, but it just keeps on going. When Neil Jordan, the director who created the delightfully devilish show The B...
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REVIEW: Pacific Rim – Jaegers Battle Kaijus In This Godzilla Meets Voltron Meets War Of The Worlds Flick

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, July 14, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Pacific Rim
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Rob Kazinsky, and Max Martini

Pacific Rim is an interesting entry into the summer 2013 blockbuster season. It is not a sequel, it does not contain an A-list cast, and the title is a little bland. Moreover, there was even controversy before its release as Michael Bay seemingly took potshots at Pacific Rim as a Transformers rip-off. Pacific Rim however delivers ...
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REVIEW: Despicable Me 2 – Gru, Kevin, Stuart And The Other Minions Work With The AVL To Bring Down A Mystery Villain In This Fun Sequel

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Wednesday, July 3, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Despicable Me 2
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Benjamin Bratt, Russell Brand, Steve Coogan, and Ken Jeong

As the only mom on the STMR staff, I often get saddled with the animated fare (i.e. Brave, Wreck-It Ralph, The Croods, and Monsters University). You name the animated flick, and I have seen it. Although I am slightly bitter about being dumped into the mommy movie review bucket, I certainly bring a differe...

REVIEW: In Unfinished Song, Rusty Old Banger Arthur Shows His True Colors When His Wife Marion Says Let's Talk About Sex

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 29, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Unfinished Song (Song for Marion)

Directed By: Paul Andrew Williams

Starring: Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston, and Vanessa Redgrave

Is it just me or do elder British actors have a lock on movies about old people? In the last year or so, we've had The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Quartet, and now Unfinished Song. With the exception of Amour, there haven't been too many non-British films about the elderly hitting theaters as of late. I will say that each of these British fli...
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REVIEW: The Heat – Werkin’ Girls Bring Laughs In This Buddy Cop Romp

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 29, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Heat
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Paul Feig

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, and Jane Curtin

Melissa McCarthy has been on a comedic roll since her breakout performance in Bridesmaids. With her hit film Identity Thief, and scene stealing cameos in This Is 40 and The Hangover Part III, McCarthy has had a meteoric rise. The new film The Heat pairs McCarthy with America’s sweetheart Sandra Bullock, and I suspect both actresses have another hit on ...

REVIEW: Monsters University – We Scare Because We Care

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 22, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Monsters University
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Dan Scanlon

Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion, Sean Hayes, and John Krasinski

It has been 12 years since Monsters, Inc. debuted in 2001. It was a solid animated movie, but in my humble opinion, it never quite reached the legendary heights of Toy Story, Shrek or The Incredibles. I am happy to report that Monsters University, a prequel to Monsters, Inc., surpasses its predecessor, and is smart, fun and filled with li...

REVIEW: In Man of Steel, A Modern Superman Proves That Evolution Wins Most of the Time

Posted by James Brown on Friday, June 14, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Man of Steel

Directed By: Zack Snyder

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, and Russell Crowe

"You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders."
-Jor-El (Russell Crowe)

Every movie lover has that one film each year they can't wait to see above all else. F...
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REVIEW: In The East, Preventing Eco-Terrorist Jams Proves to Be a Challenge for Hiller Brood Operative Sarah Moss

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 8, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The East

Directed By: Zal Batmanglij

Starring: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez, Julia Ormond, Patricia Clarkson, and Jason Ritter

"We are the East. We don’t care how rich you are. We want all those who are guilty to experience the terror of their crime. It’s easy when it’s not your life. Easy when it’s not your home. But when it’s your fault, it shouldn’t be so easy to sleep at night — especially when we know where you live. Lie ...
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REVIEW: Blessed Be the New Founding Fathers of America, a Nation Reborn With One Big Moral Dilemma Called The Purge

Posted by James Brown on Friday, June 7, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Purge

Directed By: James DeMonaco

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, and Max Burkholder

America is the poster child for gun-loving nations across the globe. I'm not going to delve too deep into the divisive, often illogical misconceptions that are floating around the web about whether or not we should arm ourselves to death, but I can't deny that this has been a hot button issue this year. What I will delve into are the many, many victims of gun violence and some of the mal...
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REVIEW: In Now You See Me, the Four Horsemen Employ the Targeted Deception and Misdirection of Magic for the Eye and for Shrike

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 31, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Now You See Me

Directed By: Louis Leterrier

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Common

"Come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier it'll be to fool you."
-J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg)

Everyone loves a good magic trick. It's the stuff that makes you put faith in the impossible, the inexplicable. It's just hard to translate the awe and wonder of magic to the big screen. Jus...
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REVIEW: The Epic Clash Between Leafmen & Boggans Over a Pod Proves That There Are Many Leaves But One Tree...Plus a Couple of Stompers

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 24, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Epic

Directed By: Chris Wedge

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Josh Hutcherson, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Chris O'Dowd, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, and Steven Tyler

Is it me or are animated films more violent these days? I'm going to date myself by saying this, but I grew up during the Second Golden Age of Disney with movies like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. I grew up when films were told with a song and dance, not a sword and shield. Just look...
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REVIEW: When It Comes to Toretto's Family Code Versus Shaw's Precision in Fast & Furious 6, the Samoan Thor Luke Hobbs Steals the Show

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 24, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Fast & Furious 6

Directed By: Justin Lin

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Sung Kang, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, Gal Gadot, Elsa Pataky, and John Ortiz

It's official. I'm convinced that the Fast & Furious films are the 007 flicks of our time. I'm not talking about Daniel Craig, the James Bond we know and love today. I'm talking about the old days with Sean Connery, the master British spy o...
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REVIEW: My Brother the Devil is a Terrorist, Not a Homo???

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 11, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

My Brother the Devil

Directed By: Sally El Hosaini

Starring: James Floyd, Fady Elsayed, and Saïd Taghmaoui

I was just having a conversation yesterday about homosexuality in Islamic culture. Though I wasn't particularly interested in the conversation at the time, another individual and I were discussing how being gay is more than just taboo to Muslims. It's comparable to a mortal sin and can often have fatal consequences. It's so fitting that I ended up seeing Sally El Hosaini's My Brother th...
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REVIEW: Kon-Tiki is a Slow Ride Through an Interesting Theory

Posted by Zach Davis on Monday, May 6, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Kon-Tiki
Zach Davis

Directed By: Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

Starring: Pål Sverre Valheim Hagan, Anders Bassmo Christiansen, Tobias Santelmann, Gustaf Skarsgård, Odd-Magnus Williamson, Jacob Oftebro, and Agnes Kittelsen

Kon-Tiki is a harrowing tale of survival propelled by an interesting theory from Thor Heyerdahl. According to Heyerdahl, the Peruvians were the first to colonize Polynesia from the east contrary to the traditional notion that Asians migrating from the west settled on th...
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REVIEW: Number One in Seven Counties, Henry Whipple Will Expand or Die At Any Price, Including Reselling Liberty Seeds

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 5, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

At Any Price

Directed By: Ramin Bahrani

Starring: Zac Efron, Dennis Quaid, Heather Graham, Clancy Brown, Ben Marten, Kim Dickens, Chelcie Ross, Red West, Maika Monroe, and Sophie Curtis

Running a business is a tough endeavor, especially in a saturated market. I sure as hell know it. The competition is stiff. The customers are demanding. The regulations within the industry are nothing more than a setback. All in all, running a business is like survival of the fittest. You'll either expand or...
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REVIEW: Love Is Not Quite All You Need When There Are Lemons from Italy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 4, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Love Is All You Need

Directed By: Susanne Bier

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, Kim Bodnia, Paprika Steen, Sebastian Jessen, Molly Blixt Egelind, Christiane Schaumburg-Müller, Micky Skeel Hansen, Bodil Jørgensen, and Line Kruse

Is it me or is it déjà vu this weekend? Last year on this very weekend, Marvel jumpstarted the summer movie season with The Avengers starring Robert Downey, Jr. This weekend, Marvel is again kicking off the summer with Iron Man 3, once again starring the per...
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REVIEW: Mud, Ellis, & Neckbone Make One Good Deal for a Boat, a Pistol, and Love

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 28, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Mud

Directed By: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, Sarah Paulson, Sam Shepard, and Stuart Greer

Matthew McConaughey has been pigeonholing himself recently. He's been in a slew of Southern-themed indie flicks. Think Bernie. Think Killer Joe. Think The Paperboy. While these are all distinct films, they share some geographic similarities, which isn't necessarily a plus for McConaughey's filmography. I'd very much like ...
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REVIEW: A Malt Mill is the Whisky of Choice in The Angels' Share

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 28, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Angels' Share

Directed By: Ken Loach

Starring: Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, William Ruane, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, and Siobhan Reilly

Every year, two percent of alcohol evaporates from a barrel of whisky. It's what's called the angels' share. It's a damn shame. Nature steals two percent of one of God's greatest gifts every year. It's the good stuff too! The whisky lost has aged and has only gotten better with time. On the other hand, this is what makes older whisky much more va...
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REVIEW: If You're a Member of the Weather Underground Organization Like Nick Sloan, Secrets are the Only Company You Keep

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 14, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Company You Keep

Directed By: Robert Redford

Starring: Robert Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Jackie Evancho, Brendan Gleeson, Brit Marling, Anna Kendrick, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, Stephen Root, Keegan Connor Tracy, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Cooper

Robert Redford has been a busy man as of late. He's joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Nick Fury's boss in Captain America: Winter Soldier. He'll be appearing in survival thriller All...
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REVIEW: Mr. Rickey Helps Number 42 Jackie Robinson Control His Temper and Go Home Sweet Home on the Baseball Field

Posted by James Brown on Friday, April 12, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

42

Directed By: Brian Helgeland

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Christopher Meloni, Jud Tylor, Alan Tudyk, Lucas Black, Jon Bernthal, and Nicole Beharie

Jackie Robinson is one of the most iconic athletes of the 20th century. It's 2013. It's been 66 years since Robinson began his historic rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and we're just getting our first feature film in my lifetime about his incredible journey. Well, it's about damn time. Sure, we had the film The Jackie Rob...
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REVIEW: With Bank Robbers, Corrupt Cops, and Bitter Sons, The Place Beyond the Pines is the Place Where Luke and Avery Show Their True Colors

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 6, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Place Beyond the Pines

Directed By: Derek Cianfrance

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelsohn, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Bruce Greenwood, Harris Yulin, Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen and Olga Merediz

"If you ride like lightning, you're gonna crash like thunder."
-Robin (Ben Mendelsohn)

I am a big advocate of filmmakers who take creative risks. Many are so afraid of crashing and burning that they don't think or do anything outside the box, particularly in main...
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REVIEW: The 533 Children Father-To-Be David Wozniak Had Under the Alias Starbuck Apparently Weren't Enough

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 30, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Starbuck

Directed By: Ken Scott

Starring: Patrick Huard, Antoine Bertrand, and Julie LeBreton

At the ripe old age of 25, I can tell you with 100% certainty that I am not ready to have kids. They sap all your energy. They eat up all your time. They spend all your money. I do know this. Whenever I do decide to become a father, I'll have one and then I'll be done. Multiple kids are not in the cards for me. I can't fathom having more than one kid terrorizing my home on a 24/7 basis, much less...
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REVIEW: In G.I. Joe, Project Zeus Offers Cobra Commander Some Fitting Retaliation, But Roadblock is Here

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, March 28, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Directed By: John M. Chu

Starring: Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Lee Byung-hun, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, and Channing Tatum

Up until now, all indicators pointed to the foregone conclusion that G.I. Joe: Retaliation would suck. It's not just the fact that its predecessor G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra sucked. Afraid of competing with The Amazing Spider-Man, Paramount pushed its release date back from Fourth of July last year (to...
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REVIEW: In Ginger & Rosa, the Young War Protester and Dad's Side Chick Can't Be Best Friends Forever

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 24, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Ginger & Rosa

Directed By: Sally Potter

Starring: Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Annette Bening, Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, and Christina Hendricks

There have been a lot of period pieces this month. We've been taken back to post-WWII Germany and Japan in Lore and Emperor. We've been taken to Chile back in the 1980s in No. This weekend, we're being taken back to 1960s London during the height of the Cold War with the United States and the Soviet Union embroiled in a tense fe...
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REVIEW: Olympus Has Fallen – They’ve Taken The White House! Where is Dennis Rodman When You Need Him?

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, March 24, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Olympus Has Fallen
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Rick Yune, and Dylan McDermott

Late last weekend, I was flipping through cable channels and I stumbled across Air Force One on the Starz network. I was reminded of what a well-done presidential, terrorist, kidnapping action flick looks like. Olympus Has Fallen is decent, but it is no Air Force One.

In Olympus Has Fallen, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is a par...

REVIEW: The Croods 3D – Cavemen, They’re Just Like Us

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 23, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Croods 3D
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Chris Sanders, Kirk De Micco

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, and Cloris Leachman

TGIF moviegoers! We are starting the weekend off with a little family fun. The Croods is the latest animated movie to present the nuclear family in a unique setting (i.e The Incredibles). Although The Croods is not as strong as some of its predecessors, it is fun and clever in its own way.

In The Croods, Grug (Nicolas Cage) is the...

REVIEW: In Stoker, Both India and Charlie Put Dad's Belt to Bloody Good Use

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 17, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Stoker

Directed By: Park Chan-wook

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, and Phyllis Somerville

"He used to say, sometimes you need to do something bad to stop you from doing something worse."
-India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska)

With the indie box office back in full swing post awards season, all I've heard about is Oldboy director Park Chan-wook's latest thriller Stoker. With good will for Chan-wook and his strong cast, the film has had lots of buzz. ...
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REVIEW: In Upside Down, Pink Bees and TransWorld's Inverse Matter Are the Cure to All Adam and Eden's Double Gravity Woes

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 17, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Upside Down

Directed By: Juan Diego Solanas

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, and Timothy Spall

Originality is something that's desperately missing from movies these days. Everything is a sequel, a remake, an adaptation, or a true story. This is a sad state of affairs for cinema today, but the blame cannot be totally hoisted upon the shoulders of studio execs in Hollywood. We as moviegoers share a good chunk of that blame as well. We buy into it. Of the highest-grossing movies of 2012,...
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REVIEW: The Call Packs Plenty Of Suspense And Emotional Pull, But Veers Off Course When Berry Leaves The Hive

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 16, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Call
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Brad Anderson

Starring: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut, Michael Eklund, and David Otunga

Going in to see Halle Berry’s new suspense thriller, I had low expectations. WWE films are not usually known for their high quality. I assumed with David Otunga, WWE Wrestler and former contestant on I Love New York as part of the cast, The Call would be more mindless “entertainment.” Given that the movie's trailer was incredibly revealing, I assum...

REVIEW: Heaven or Hell, Lore Will Do What She Must to Get to Her Omi in Hamburg

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 10, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lore

Directed By: Cate Shortland

Starring: Saskia Rosendahl, Kai-Peter Malina, Nele Trebs, and Ursina Lardi

In my review of Emperor, I wrote that I was tired of movies about World War II. I said that filmmakers had covered every aspect of the second Great War and that there was nothing more that could be done. Honestly, I'm going to have to retract the second part of that statement. There was one thing I had never fathomed I would see in a World War II movie, but it's here with Australian war ...
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REVIEW: In Revenge Flick Dead Man Down, 719 Is All About Killing the Devil Slowly, Not When You Find Him

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 9, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Dead Man Down

Directed By: Niels Arden Oplev

Starring: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Huppert, and Wade Barrett

Noomi Rapace's career has been on the rise for quite some time now, and it's well-deserved given her raw acting talent. In the last couple of years, the original girl with the dragon tattoo has gotten some major exposure on the big screen. Rapace had a supporting role alongside Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shado...
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REVIEW: Jack The Giant Slayer 3D – Between Heaven And Earth, Jack And The King’s Guardians Battle Some Pretty Ruthless Giants

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 2, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Jack The Giant Slayer 3D
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, and Ian McShane

"Fee Fye Foe Fumm. Ask not whence the thunder comes. For between Heaven and Earth it's a perilous place. Home to a fearsome giant race."
–King Brahmwell (Ian McShane)

Jack the Giant Slayer is the latest movie to update a traditional fairy tale into an action adventure film. Because X-Men and Usual Suspects director Bryan Si...

REVIEW: The ABC’s Of Death – 26 Tales Of Horror By 26 Different Directors

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, February 19, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The ABC’s Of Death
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Nacho Vigalondo, Marcel Sarmiento, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Angela Bettis, Xavier Gens, etc.

Starring: Fraser Corbett, Dallas Malloy, Darenzia, Lee Hardcastle, and Hiroko Yashiki

The ABC’s of Death is a compilation of 26 different horror stories directed by 26 different directors. Inspired by children’s storybooks, producers Ant Timpson and Tim League assigned a different letter of the alphabet to different ...

REVIEW: Whether Sandy Bigelow Patterson or Dawn Budgie, Melissa McCarthy is One Funny Identity Thief

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 9, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Identity Thief

Directed By: Seth Gordon

Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, T.I., Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet

Since the massive success of Bridesmaids some two years ago, Melissa McCarthy's career has been on the rise. Her show Mike & Molly continues to be a hit on CBS. She's scheduled to headline several comedies this year at the box office. She's even rumored to be appearing in The Hangover Part III (whi...

REVIEW: For Stand Up Guys Pacino, Walken, and Arkin, It's Time to Kick Ass or Chew Gum?! Seriously?

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 2, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Stand Up Guys

Directed By: Fisher Stevens

Starring: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Julianna Margulies, Mark Margolis, Katheryn Winnick, Vanessa Ferlito, Addison Timlin, and Lucy Punch

Al Pacino is my favorite actor in all of film history. He is the consummate performer on the big screen, the small screen, and stage. If you say Pacino is in something, I'm watching whatever it is. It doesn't matter whether he's playing Michael Corleone, Sonny Wortzik, or even Joe Paterno. I'm d...

REVIEW: Warm Bodies Exhumes the Zombie Movie Genre and Cures It with a Fresh, Funny Tale of Romance

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 2, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Warm Bodies

Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Cory Hardrict, and Analeigh Tipton

Zombie movies are misses more often than hits. We get so many movies about these undead terrors that are as lifeless and mindless as the walking dead themselves. With countless films in the genre, it's got to be terribly difficult to think outside the box and pull together a fresh, innovative story. However, director Jonathan Levine...

REVIEW: At the Beecham House Annual Gala, the Quartet Brings Down the House with Verdi's Rigoletto

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 26, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Quartet

Directed By: Dustin Hoffman

Starring: Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon, and Sheridan Smith

"Old age is for sissies."
-Cecily "Cissy" Robson (Pauline Collins)

It's no secret that we have an aging population in the US. The baby boomers are dragging our population into old age. Consequently, we're starting to see more and more movies about the elderly at the box office. In the last year, we've had films such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hote...

REVIEW: Lily, Mama, Victoria. The Helvecia Cabin is a Full House of Horror

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 19, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Mama

Directed By: Andres Muschietti

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, and Daniel Kash

"A ghost is an emotion, bent out of shape, condemned to repeat itself, time and time again, until it rights the wrong it was done."
-A Local Record-keeper

We don't get too many ghost stories at the box office. I'm talking about real ghost stories, not Paranormal Activity. I'm talking about films like last year's The Woman in Black. I'm talking about ...

REVIEW: In The Last Stand at the Mexican Border, the Sheriff of Summerton Puts a Cheesy Hurtin' on Druglord Gabriel Cortez

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 19, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Last Stand

Directed By: Kim Ji-woon

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Rodrigo Santoro, Luis Guzmán, Jaimie Alexander, Eduardo Noriega, Peter Stormare, Zach Gilford, and Genesis Rodriguez

The Last Stand presents a very interesting question about classic action star Arnold Schwarzenegger. After all, the Terminator is a little antiquated at the ripe old age of 65. To make matters more interesting, it's now been ten years since Terminator 3: Rise of the M...

REVIEW: In the Matter of Progress vs. a Better Future, Gangster Squad Loses Its Badge

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 11, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Gangster Squad

Directed By: Ruben Fleischer

Starring: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Sean Penn, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, and Robert Patrick

2012 was the year of long movies. Many of them were good, but they were long. The Avengers, Skyfall, and Lincoln all flirted with the two and a half hour mark, while The Dark Knight Rises, Les Misérables, and Django Unchained blew right past it. Those are some long movies. Because of this I made a New Year'...

REVIEW: In the Absolut Madness of Promised Land, Athena Dirties Up the Natural Gas Business

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Promised Land

Directed By: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Matt Damon, John Krasinki, Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook, Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, Lucas Black, and Titus Welliver

For all intents and purposes, this year is just about a wrap at movie theaters around the country. There are no major new releases slated before the new year. The Hobbit, Les Misérables, and Django Unchained should continue to rock the box office, and I'm willing to bet money on that. With this in mind, I've decided...

REVIEW: Save the Date is an Authentic Romance with Plenty of Drawings

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Save the Date

Directed By: Michael Mohan

Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, Geoffrey Arend, and Mark Webber

With the awards season well under way, we at Sobriety Test have not been paying too much attention to the indie VOD marketplace over the last several months. We've had bigger fish to fry. We've dropped the ball on this and plan on getting back on our A-game with these often surprising indies over the next several months. A great starting point is a little romantic co...

REVIEW: As a Hobo, Motion Capture Actor, & Leprechaun, Monsieur Oscar Likes to Punish Others in Holy Motors, Including Us

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, November 22, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Holy Motors

Directed By: Leos Carax

Starring: Denis Lavant, Édith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue, Élise L'Homeau, Michel Piccoli, and Jeanne Disson

I have seen some weird movies this year. Up until this point, Lee Daniels's The Paperboy held the crown for the strangest film of the year. After all, watching Nicole Kidman give John Cusack an imaginary blow job and urinating all over Zac Efron is some pretty crazy stuff. After seeing Holy Motors though, my opinion changed. The Paperboy i...

REVIEW: Believe in Rise of the Guardians Because the Moon Said So

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 21, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Rise of the Guardians

Directed By: Peter Ramsey

Starring: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Jude Law, and Dakota Goyo

It's hard to believe that 2012 is coming to a close so quickly. It seems like just yesterday when some of the year's top flicks were arriving in theaters. What's even harder to believe is that we've arrived at the final animated film of the year, Peter Ramsey's Rise of the Guardians. This team-up of fantasy legends is a fitting film to lead us through th...

REVIEW: Despite Bingo, the Cemetery, and Paris, Starlet Is All About the Benjamins

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 18, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Starlet

Directed By: Sean S. Baker

Starring: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Stella Maeve, James Ransone, and Karren Karagulian

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you found some large sum of money by chance? Would you head straight to the bank? Would you hit the mall? If you knew the person to whom it belongs, would you return it? You’re probably thinking all the politically correct things right now. While it all seems clear when you talk about this in the hypothetical, it m...

REVIEW: When There's Money, Things Get Funny in Jungle Village and RZA Gets Down to Bloody Business as The Man with the Iron Fists

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 3, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Man with the Iron Fists

Directed By: RZA

Starring: Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu, Byron Mann, RZA, Rick Yune, David Bautista, and Jamie Chung

Hurricane Sandy may have wreaked havoc upon movie theaters over the last week or so, but it looks like moviegoers on the East Coast have got a little cabin fever this weekend. Business has certainly picked up at theaters, and it's the perfect time. It's the start of the holiday movie season, and there's a little something for everyone. For th...

REVIEW: Wreck-it Ralph 3D – A Fun Romp With Villains from Pac-Man, Streetfighter and Super Mario Brothers

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, November 3, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Wreck-it Ralph 3D
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Rich Moore

Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Mindy Kaling, Ed O’Neill

In a week jammed with diverse and exciting releases such as Flight and The Man With The Iron Fists, I chose lighter fare this weekend and opted to review Wreck-it Ralph in 3D. How could I go wrong when the trailer for the film included a support group filled with some of the most notorious villains in video game history? When I saw villains f...
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REVIEW: With Violins, Shipyards, and Secret Letters, Simon and the Oaks is Really the War of the Dads

Posted by James Brown on Monday, October 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Simon and the Oaks (Simon och ekarna)

Directed By: Lisa Ohlin

Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Helen Sjöholm, Jonatan Wächter, Stefan Gödicke, and Jan Josef Liefers

Violins seem to be back in style at indie theaters this fall. We had Chicken with Plums last month, Simon and the Oaks this month, and A Late Quartet next month. All these films are about violinists. While I definitely love the strings, I would happily welcome a flick about some other instrument. For now, I'm going to tell you a...

REVIEW: Here Comes The Boom - The King Of Queens Takes On MMA To Show That Without Music Life Would Be A Mistake

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, October 13, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Here Comes The Boom
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Frank Coraci

Starring: Kevin James, Salma Hayek, Henry Winkler, Bas Rutten, Charice, Greg Germann

Well color me surprised. Here Comes the Boom was not completely horrible. Please hear me out before you revoke my critic’s badge. I had incredibly low expectations going into the film. While I like Kevin James, aside from the King of Queens and Hitch, he has been a part of one bad film after another. (I’m looking at you Zookeeper, Paul Blart: ...
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REVIEW: Pitch Perfect Hits Most of the Right Notes

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 30, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Pitch Perfect

Directed By: Jason Moore

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Skylar Astin, Freddie Stroma, Alexis Knapp, Adam DeVine, Ester Dean, and Brock Kelly

Anna Kendrick has been pretty busy as of late. In the last year or so, she's been in more than half a dozen films ranging from 50/50 and End of Watch to ParaNorman and What to Expect When You're Expecting. She's chosen a variety of roles that have helped showcase her versatility...

REVIEW: End of Watch is a Cop Mockumentary with a Foul Mouth

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 23, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

End of Watch

Directed By: David Ayer

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, America Ferrera, Frank Grillo, and David Harbour

We've had our fair share of bromances this year. With This Means War, 21 Jump Street, and Savages having already rolled into theaters in the last several months, it's safe to say that there has been plenty of male bonding on the big screen. With David Ayer's cop mockumentary End of Watch hitting movie theaters this weekend, it's al...

REVIEW: Trouble with the Curve Has a Little Trouble of Its Own...Moneyball

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 22, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Trouble with the Curve

Directed By: Robert Lorenz

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, Matthew Lillard, and John Goodman

As most of you know by now, Clint Eastwood made some rather interesting remarks at the Republican National Convention several weeks ago to an empty chair in which an invisible Obama supposedly sat. While I believe his comments were insulting to the presidency, I have a website to run, and I have to be able to separate the political activist from the scr...

REVIEW: Carrie Ann Is Insane in House at the End of the Street

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Friday, September 21, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

House at the End of the Street
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Mark Tonderai

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, Gil Bellows, Elisabeth Shue, and Eva Link

As I have said before in prior reviews of horror flicks, Jason, Freddy and Michael Myers do not scare me. However, the depiction of truly insane people freaks me out. Any time I see a female walking around in white pajamas with hair in her face and one crazy eye showing, I’m ready to run for the border. Call it The Ring effect. Hou...

REVIEW: With Jackals, DustBuster Olympics, and Pizza Pillows, Sleepwalk with Me is All About the Dreams

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 1, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Sleepwalk with Me

Directed By: Mike Birbiglia

Starring: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane, James Rebhorn, and Cristin Millioti

I used to sleepwalk. When I was a kid, I would get up in the middle of the night and just do stuff. Regardless of whatever the hell I was doing at that time of night, somebody usually would wake up and take notice. Often times, my mom would hear me rumbling through the house and just tell me to go back to bed. As an obedient sleepwalker, I would just do it. ...
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REVIEW: For a Good Time, Call...1-900-MMM-HMMM, a Phone Sex Hotline That'll Keep You Busting Out Laughing

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 1, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

For a Good Time, Call...

Directed By: Jamie Travis

Starring: Lauren Miller, Ari Graynor, Justin Long, Seth Rogen, Mimi Rogers, and Kevin Smith

For moviegoers everywhere, there's nothing worse than a studio spoiling a film with a trailer that reveals too much. We've all been there. It's when a movie is nothing more than an extended version of a trailer. It's a damn shame. It's really bad for comedies because then the film's best jokes aren't even funny. You've laughed at them already. There...
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REVIEW: The Moonshine Bootlegging Bondurant Brothers May Think They're Invincible, But Lawless Shows All Their Flaws

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, August 30, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lawless

Directed By: John Hillcoat

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, and Dane DeHaan

On paper, Lawless may be the perfect movie for me. I've been in need of a good crime movie as of late. They're so rare these days. On top of that, it's about moonshine bootlegging during Prohibition. That's just about as good as it gets for the SoberFilmCritic. That being said, Lawless doesn't fully realize its potential as director J...
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REVIEW: While No Brakes May Mean Death for Wilee, Premium Rush is the Deadliest Thing of All for the Coyote Man

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 25, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Premium Rush

Directed By: David Koepp

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Aaron Tveit, Dania Ramirez, and Jamie Chung

For all of us drivers out there who live in or near a major city, I have to say one thing. Bikers suck and can be annoying as hell. They're either hogging too much road thereby slowing us down or they're acting crazy and trying to get us killed in accidents. With this in mind, I come to David Koepp's Premium Rush a very jaded moviegoer. It's hard for me to feel e...
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REVIEW: 2 Days In New York: An Understated Chris Rock Shines In This Cross-Cultural Rom Com

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, August 21, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

2 Days In New York
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Julie Delpy

Starring: Chris Rock, Julie Delpy, Dylan Baker, Albert Delpy, Alexia Landeau

2 Days in New York is a funny independent film that serves as a sequel to Julie Delpy’s 2 Days in Paris. Written, directed by and starring Delpy, the film follows 38 year old Marion who is in a loving relationship with Mingus (Chris Rock). Both Mingus and Marion have children from prior relationships and they have carved out a sweet life in Manhattan for th...
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REVIEW: Aaron Cross Takes Up the Bourne Legacy, While Sin-Eater Eric Byer Tries to Burn Operation Outcome Down to the Ground

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 11, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Bourne Legacy

Directed By: Tony Gilroy

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Joan Allen, and Albert Finney

The Bourne Legacy is a film that's had a shadow cast over it from the day it was announced. It's the Jason Bourne movie without Jason Bourne. With Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon departing the franchise, it's a new chapter in the series. Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Duplicity) is taking the director's chair from Greengrass, while Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, Mission: ...
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REVIEW: The Campaign is Taking Care of Business

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 10, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Campaign

Directed By: Jay Roach

Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Katherine LaNasa, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, and Brian Cox

I am sick and tired of hearing about Mitt Romney and Barack Obama this year. I'm sick of the constant barrage of ads. I'm sick of the incessant media coverage. I'm sick of obvious half-truths. I'm sure the election season has gotten on your nerves as well. With this in mind, Jay Roach's The Campaign could not have had bett...
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REVIEW: Dr. Feld Breaks Some Noses to Get Things Going for Arnold and Kay in Hope Springs

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 10, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Hope Springs

Directed By: David Frankel

Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell, and Elisabeth Shue

Life is good for Meryl Streep this year. She's added another statue named Oscar to her award shelf. She's considered by most to be the greatest living actress. She's enjoying her status as acting royalty and taking her career in whatever direction she chooses. Now that she's brought The Iron Lady to the big screen, the legendary actress is joining forces with Tommy Lee Jones to e...
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REVIEW: Farewell, My Queen is the Wrong Title for This Movie. 'Goodbye' is Not in Sidonie's Vocabulary

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Farewell, My Queen

Directed By: Benoít Jacquot

Starring: Diane Kruger, Léa Seydoux, and Virginie Ledoyen

I can't lie. When I first heard of Farewell, My Queen, I thought it would be a rather steamy film that highlighted an alleged lesbian romance between Marie-Antoinette and the Duchess of Polignac with the French Revolution as the backdrop for the film. As it turns out, it's just the opposite. This lesbian romance is emphasized in the film but takes a backseat to the French Revolution and ...
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REVIEW: Despite Manipulative Sirens, Pirate Apes, & Continental Drifts, Ice Age Understands the Most Important Thing — Family

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 14, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Directed By: Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier

Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Keke Palmer, Chris Wedge, Peter Dinklage, Jennifer Lopez, Wanda Sykes, Drake, and Nicki Minaj

If Paramount hadn't chickened out with G.I. Joe: Retaliation last month, this could have been a more interesting weekend at the movies. If the studio didn’t push the film out to March 2013 to "convert it to 3D", we would have had so...
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REVIEW: Magic Mike — I Want To Go To There, But Only For Channing Tatum’s Dancing

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 30, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Magic Mike
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew McConaughey

When women saw the Magic Mike movie trailer, I believe they said, a la Liz Lemon on 30 Rock, “I want to go to there.” My Magic Mike movie experience was a riot, but it wasn’t due to the actual movie. I arrived at my theater and saw hundreds of women in a line that roped to the theater doors waiting for entry into Magic Mike. Men...
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REVIEW: Ted Can't Quite Find the Right Gear, But He Can Show Some Love for Flash Gordon's Sam Jones

Posted by James Brown on Friday, June 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Ted

Directed By: Seth MacFarlane,

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Giovanni Ribisi, Jessica Stroup, and Patrick Warburton

This summer has not been a good one for comedies. After last year's surprise hit Bridesmaids, I've been waiting for something great this year. Last week's Seeking a Friend for the End of the World was decent. In May, The Dictator was just okay. Tim Burton's Dark Shadows brought the freaks to help kick off the summer, but not the laughs. All of this ...
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REVIEW: You Can Get All Your Classic Rock While Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 23, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Directed By: Lorene Scafaria

Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt, Adam Brody, Derek Luke, and Martin Sheen

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Steve Carell has been typecast as an actor. In one way or another, he always plays somebody with an emotional imbalance. His characters are either way too jolly or way too depressing. He hardly ever plays normal people. Just look back at a long list of films ranging fro...
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REVIEW: Brave — Solid, But Not Courageous Enough

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 23, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Brave
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and John Ratzenberger

Brave was not exactly what I expected. From the movie’s trailer, I thought the film would follow the path of animated films like Mulan where the female protagonist bucks tradition and takes on a role or activities that are usually reserved for men. While Brave does have some of those elem...
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REVIEW: In the Matter of Lola Versus Love, Saturn Is Telling Lola to Be Selfish and Do Her

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 17, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Lola Versus

Directed By: Daryl Wein

Starring: Greta Gerwig, Zoe Lister Jones, Bill Pullman, Hamish Linklater, Debra Winger, Joel Kinnaman, and Cheyenne Jackson

Greta Gerwig has been a very busy woman this year. She's been all over indie cinema in 2012. We saw her in Damsels in Distress a couple of months ago. We've got her in Lola Versus this week. We'll even be seeing her in Woody Allen's To Rome With Love later this month. In her current film Lola Versus, Gerwig stars as a young woman str...
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REVIEW: The Indian & the Lesbian Get Some Good Work Experience By Stalking Folks & Traveling Back in Time in Safety Not Guaranteed

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 16, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Safety Not Guaranteed

Directed By: Colin Trevorrow

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, and Mark Duplass

"Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed."
-Classified Ad

There's a thin line between genius and insanity. More often than not, we label somebody as cuckoo when they're trying to think outside the box and do something others would d...
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REVIEW: Rock of Ages — Rock-n-Roll, Sex, and 80’s Hair

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 16, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Rock of Ages
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Adam Shankman

Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, and Tom Cruise

As a musical aficionado and a child of the 80’s, I was naturally chosen to review the highly anticipated Rock of Ages. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of the film. I had heard that Tom Cruise was phenomenal, and the movie trailer showed a lot of rock music, partying and big hair. That is...
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REVIEW: Chickens, Sparrows, and Peacocks. Peace, Love & Misunderstanding Has a Serious Obsession with Birds...and Weed

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 9, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding

Directed By: Bruce Beresford

Starring: Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Elizabeth Olsen, Chace Crawford, Nat Wolff, Marissa O'Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, and Rosanna Arquette

If you were a hippie back in the day, you're now officially old. The 60s were a long, long time ago, and the world has changed quite a bit. There's one thing that hasn't changed. People still love weed. That's why we need hippie grandmothers like Jane Fonda's Grace in Peace...
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REVIEW: Whether With a Feather Duster or the Jolly Molly, Hysteria Always Satisfies With Some Old School Sex Toys

Posted by James Brown on Friday, June 8, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Hysteria

Directed By: Tanya Wexler

Starring: Felicity Jones, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce, and Rupert Everett

Before we arrived at the medical and scientific knowledge we have today, many doctors were educated fools. You wouldn't believe what some of them thought back in the day. Many completely disregarded science and ignored life-changing discoveries from the research of a few. They didn't believe germs existed and fostered situations in which they hurt their patients far m...
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REVIEW: What You're Fixin' to Get in Bernie is Some Good Old Texas Charm and a Damn Good Comedy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 19, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Bernie

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Starring: Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, and Shirley MacLaine

There's nothing quite like a small town, especially in the South. Everybody is in everyone else's business like it's their job. The townspeople think they know everything about everyone else. Because of that, a man's reputation is everything. Rumors and perception rule these cul de sacs. Back in the 90s in a little town in East Texas named Carthage, a man named Bernie Tiede enamored the tow...
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REVIEW: The Dictator – Politically Incorrect Fun

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, May 19, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Dictator
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Larry Charles

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Megan Fox, and John C. Reilly

Do you know those jokes that are highly inappropriate and border on making you uncomfortable as a viewer? Jokes that often result in nervous laughter or dead silence? The Dictator is filled with those moments, but you cannot expect anything else from Sacha Baron Cohen.

Haffaz Aladeen (Cohen) is a ruthless dictator from the fictional north African country of ...
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REVIEW: With Super Secret Handshakes, Earthworms, & Time Travel, Sound of My Voice Puts Its Own Spin on Cult Movies

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 13, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Sound of My Voice

Directed By: Zal Batmanglij

Starring: Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, and Brit Marling

Let's be real. Cults are for suckers. The weak-minded fools of the world believe any crap that their leaders spew, no matter how far-fetched it may be. They just go along believing in their "wise" leaders and taking their marching orders. That's what makes cult movies so interesting. We get to watch these fools in action or what we imagine them to be. Zal Batmanglij's Sound of My Voi...
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REVIEW: Sink or Swim, The Old Folks Do It Up in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 5, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Directed By: John Madden

Starring: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and Penelope Wilton

"Everything will be alright in the end. So if it's not alright, it is not yet the end."
-Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel)

It's the summer blockbuster season once again, and we're at a time when all we get from Hollywood at the end of a hard week is a happy ending. The world can be destroyed, but filmmakers have to make moviegoer...
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REVIEW: Leading Is Dangerous Business, and We Have a Pope Who Knows It

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 29, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)

Directed By: Nanni Moretti

Starring: Michel Piccoli and Nanni Moretti

Being a leader is hard work. How many people have shied away from opportunities to lead a student organization, a neighborhood association, or some committee at work? Stepping up to the plate can be tough stuff, and often none of us want to do it in the midst of our already stressful lives. You know you've avoided something like this at some point in your life. Hell, I certainly have...on mor...
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REVIEW: Jason Statham Eats Bullets for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner in Safe. That's Just Good Business Right There.

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 28, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Safe

Directed By: Boaz Yakin

Starring: Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, and Chris Sarandon

This weekend really is the preamble to the summer blockbuster season. With Marvel's The Avengers next weekend, it seems almost pointless to go to the movies right now. Almost. Having seen action star Jason Statham's latest flick Safe, I can easily say that this movie might be worth stepping out to the box office one last time before the Marvel superheroes assemble next week.

Former NYPD police officer Luke...
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REVIEW: The Five-Year Engagement May Be the Five-Year Comedy, but It Brings Plenty of Laughs with Elmo, Cookie Monster, & Doughnuts

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 28, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Five-Year Engagement

Directed By: Nicholas Stoller

Starring: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Lauren Weedman, Mimi Kennedy, David Paymer, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, and Eric Scott-Cooper

With 2012 marking its 100th anniversary, Universal Pictures has got a great line-up of movies this year, especially in the comedy department. Ted and This Is 40 are on the way later this year from Universal. For now, we've got The Five-Year Engagement, a wedding-themed comedy that will s...
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REVIEW: Despite the Gender War, Think Like a Man Doesn't Hate the Player. It Just Changes the Game...For the Better

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 21, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Think Like a Man

Directed By: Tim Story

Starring: Michael Ealy, Jay Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Jenkins, Romany Malco, and Gabrielle Union

Hollywood has decided to make this third weekend in April about love. At their center, the two films headlining the box office this weekend are love movies. The Lucky One is the latest romance drama to hit theaters, while Think Like a Man is the new romantic comedy. Normally, I would say that having two romanti...
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REVIEW: Puppet Masters Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon Bring Blood and Brutality to Reality TV with The Cabin in the Woods

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 14, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Cabin in the Woods

Directed By: Drew Goddard

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, and Bradley Whitford

It's Friday the 13th, and I'm here to talk about a newly released horror flick. There is a catch though. It doesn't involve the undead, machete-wielding menace Jason Voorhees. I'm talking about the new horror movie The Cabin in the Woods by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon. While this new horror flick does pay homage to Ja...
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REVIEW: ATM - Getting A Few Bucks Has Never Been So Deadly

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, April 7, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

ATM
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: David Brooks

Starring: Alice Eve, Josh Peck, and Brian Geraghty

I am always paranoid if I use an ATM at night. I have a fear that someone is going to sneak up behind me and rob me just as I’m keying in my code. The ATMs that require you to swipe your card to enter into a windowed room at the front of a building are even worse because then you’re trapped in a room. So ATM the movie is really my paranoia come to life, but on crack.

ATM is the story of David (B...
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REVIEW: Aunque los Rancheros Dicen que Saben Nada, Saben lo que es Cómico en Casa de Mi Padre. (Even Though The Rancheros Claim They Nothing, They Know What's Funny in Casa de Mi Padre.)

Posted by James Brown on Friday, April 6, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Casa de Mi Padre

Directed By: Matt Piedmont

Starring: Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Génesis Rodríguez, Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., Nick Offerman, Efren Ramirez, and Adrian Martinez

Will Ferrell used to be the SNL vet that gave moviegoers mainstream comedies that set the standard for everybody else. Just think of future classics like Old School, Elf, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Lately, he's been on the indie scene. We recently saw him in the independent flic...
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REVIEW: Mirror, Mirror – Decent, But Not The Fairest Of Them All

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Friday, March 30, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Mirror, Mirror
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Tarsem Singh

Starring: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, and Sean Bean

I have to admit, it was hard for me to get excited about seeing Mirror, Mirror. After all, trailer 2 for Snow White and the Huntsman was recently released and it looks 10 different kinds of awesome. While the films are obviously drastically different and should not necessarily be compared, it is hard not to compare two films about the same fairy tale released ...
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REVIEW: Delicacy May Not Find the Right Balance, But You Can with a Little Wine

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 24, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Delicacy

Directed By: David Foenkinos, Stéphane Foenkinos

Starring: Audrey Tautou, François Damiens, Bruno Todeschini, Mélanie Bernier, Joséphine de Meaux, Pio Marmaï, Monique Chaumette, and Marc Citti

France has played a big role in a lot of the great films of 2011. Whether laying claim to the Academy Award-winning film for Best Picture The Artist or being prominently featured in acclaimed films such as Midnight in Paris and Hugo, France has been the center of attention for the last year ...
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REVIEW: The Snowtown Murders- A Painfully Brutal Australian Drama

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Snowtown Murders
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Justin Kurzel

Starring: Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, and Louise Harris

I am traumatized. I viewed The Snowtown Murders yesterday and it took me a full day to collect my thoughts and write about what I witnessed. I usually do not read other critical reviews of a film until after I have seen the movie. I like to watch a film unbiased so that I can give a fresh perspective for Sobriety Test readers. So going into Snowtown, all I knew was that ...
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REVIEW: The Decoy Bride – Not Quite Bridget Jones, But Decent

Posted by Mary Dieng on Saturday, March 17, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Decoy Bride
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Sheree Folkson

Starring: David Tennant, Alice Eve, and Kelly MacDonald

The Decoy Bride is a British romantic comedy about Lara Tyler (Alice Eve a.k.a. the braless nanny from Sex and the City 2), an international movie star who is attempting to marry British writer James Arber (David Tennant). Unfortunately for Lara, the paparazzi is hounding her every move and journalists from all over the world are hell bent on snapping pictures of the wedding. One p...
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REVIEW: Declaration of War- A Parent’s Worst Nightmare

Posted by Mary Dieng on Saturday, March 3, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Declaration of War
Mary Dieng

Directed By: Valérie Donzelli

Starring: Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm, and César Desseix

A parent’s worst nightmare is that their child will become sick. From the moment you have a baby, you feel an overwhelming need to protect him or her from anything and everything. But there are some things, like disease, that even mom can’t make go away. The French film Declaration of War takes us into the heart of a family’s struggle with the unthinkable.

Romeo ...
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REVIEW: Hippies, and Sex, and Drugs! Oh, My! Wanderlust Throws the Kitchen Sink at Moviegoers

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 25, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Wanderlust

Directed By: David Wain

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Malin Akerman, Lauren Ambrose, Joe Lo Truglio, Kathryn Hahn, Melissa Joan Hart, and Alan Alda

Raunchy slapstick comedies have taken a very interesting turn in recent years. These films have become more reliant on penises for laughs. This new obsession has manifested itself in many ways on the big screen. I can think of quite a few comedies where filmmakers try to get a rise out of their viewers by putting...
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REVIEW: Tyler Perry's Good Deeds – Not Too Bad

Posted by Mary Dieng on Saturday, February 25, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Good Deeds
Mary Dieng

Directed By: Tyler Perry

Starring: Tyler Perry, Thandie Newton, Brian J. White, Rebecca Romijn, Jamie Kennedy, Phylicia Rashad, and Gabrielle Union

I will confess, I was not excited when I was asked to review Tyler Perry’s new film Good Deeds. Not that I don’t like Perry (Mr. Brown aside). At their core, his films tend to be about redemption and the triumph of the human spirit. They are, however, often predictable, and the trailer for Good Deeds looked like a made-for...
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REVIEW: The Damn Few Have Every Reason to Be Proud of Act of Valor...Except for Some Bad Acting

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 24, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Act of Valor

Directed By: Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh

Starring: Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano, and Emilio Rivera

Movies based on true stories have the greatest advantage over fictional films—the plethora of people who can offer expertise on the story being told based on their actual life experiences. Their consultation in the filmmaking process can often lend a film a certain authenticity. Look no further than recent films like Moneyball and In the Land of Blood and Honey. These flicks rea...
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REVIEW: This Means War Means Business

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

This Means War

Directed By: McG

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Chelsea Handler, and Til Schweiger

Guys, it's Valentine's Day weekend, and you're looking for that right movie that can please you and your significant other. It needs to be action-packed, funny, and somehow romantic. That’s a tall order though. Having some badass action sequences for you and some heartfelt, raw emotional scenes for the ladies is a challenging task for any movie. No one film can do all of t...
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REVIEW: Kill List - A Brutal, Disturbing Thriller

Posted by Mary Dieng on Sunday, February 12, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Kill List
Mary Dieng

Directed By: Ben Wheatley

Starring: Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley, MyAnna Buring, and Emma Fryer

Confused and Disturbed. That would describe my feelings at the end of viewing Kill List. WTH would also be appropriate. Kill List is the story of Jay (Neil Maskell), an ex-British soldier who has hit hard financial times. He has not worked in over eight months and his wife Shel (Myanna Buring), also a former soldier, is irate. The film begins with them bickering at a dinner pa...
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REVIEW: Safe House Plays It Too Safe

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 10, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Safe House

Directed By: Daniel Espinosa

Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Sam Shepard

These last several months have been an interesting time for movies with big actors. Time and time again, we've all been asking whether great acting is enough to make a movie great. Well, the results have been mixed thus far. In J. Edgar, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a powerhouse performance. The problem is that the movie absolutely sucks. In The Iron Lady, Meryl Stre...
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REVIEW: Perfect Sense – A Sexy Love Story In The Midst Of the Apocalypse

Posted by Mary Dieng on Saturday, February 4, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Perfect Sense
Mary Dieng

Directed By: David Mackenzie

Starring: Eva Green and Ewan McGregor

The mark of a solid independent film is whether it leaves you thinking long after you have seen it. You know what I’m talking about—the films where you’re not sure what you just saw after the lights go up and you walk out of the theater; the films that leave you conversing with a friend, questioning what the purpose was and what it all means; the films that make you want to go back to a college comp...
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REVIEW: The Woman in Black Takes Us Way Back

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 4, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Woman in Black

Directed By: James Watkins

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Sophie Stuckey, Liz White, and Alisa Khasanova

Most scary movies these days just don't get the job done. Ghost stories and old school thrillers have gone out of fashion. We're left with remakes of 80s slasher flicks like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th that can never quite live up to the originals. Alternatively, we get unnecessarily gory films that are tantamount to torture po...
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REVIEW: The Grey Is a Smart Movie, But It's Also Really Stupid

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 27, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Grey

Directed By: Joe Carnahan

Starring: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson, Nonso Anozie, and James Badge Dale

Attention everyone! It's that time of year for a kick-ass Liam Neeson B-movie, and no actor in the world wanted to go toe-to-toe with the famed Irish actor this time around. Liam Neeson has beaten the hell out of every human badass on camera and is now relegated to fighting wolves. Writer/director Joe Carnahan took a stab at bringing a wolf ...
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REVIEW: Haywire Satisfies But Does Not Electrify

Posted by Mary Dieng, Esq. on Saturday, January 21, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Haywire
Mary Dieng

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas

Maybe my expectations were just a little too high. Maybe, I’m a dreamer. I was excited to see Haywire. And why not? A film directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, the Oceans series, Contagion) with a cast that includes new “it” actor Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas and Ewan McGregor is de...
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REVIEW: Underworld Is a Kickass Awakening to the Vampire & Werewolf Genre

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 20, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Underworld: Awakening

Directed By: Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Sandrine Holt, Theo James, Michael Ealy, and India Eisley

What ever happened to the good old fashioned movies with vampires and werewolves beating the holy hell out of each other? Those were the good old days. Then, Twilight arrived and forever tainted the vampire and werewolf genre. That series threw romance into the picture and created insanely popular crap. Before Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattins...
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REVIEW: As Margaret Thatcher, Meryl Streep Gives Us the Rusty Old Iron Lady

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 14, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Iron Lady

Directed By: Phyllida Lloyd

Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, and Richard E. Grant

Does great acting make a film great? This awards season has answered this very important question. Though it was never posed, it is worthwhile. Well, the answer has consistently been an adamant "no". Just look at Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. On paper, the film was destined for the Oscars. What we got however was a subpar historical drama on one of America's most controversial m...
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REVIEW: Joyful Noise Hits a Surprisingly Good Note

Posted by Mary Dieng, Esq. on Saturday, January 14, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Joyful Noise
Mary Dieng

Directed By: Todd Graff

Starring: Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, and Jeremy Jordan

Color me surprised. I enjoyed Joyful Noise. There, I said it. Now before you throw tomatoes at me and revoke my STMR critic pass for life, hear me out. I walked into the movie theater with a catchy title to pan the movie already dancing in my head. While I love Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton and KeKe Palmer for their memorable roles in some of my favorite films (Chicago, Steel M...
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REVIEW: The Adventures of Tintin Is a Fun Ride, But I Was Ready to Get Off the Rollercoaster at the End of the Movie

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 22, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Adventures of Tintin

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Daniel Craig

Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg turned 65 this past Sunday, and crossing that feared milestone of becoming a senior citizen hasn't stopped him from doing what he loves best — making movies. This holiday season, he's releasing The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse (for which a review is forthcoming later this week). In fact, he's doing something he's never d...
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REVIEW: Young Adult Is a Little Too Heavy at Times. I Might Have to Take a Break at the Bar.

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 17, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Young Adult

Directed By: Jason Reitman

Starring: Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Patton Oswalt

When I first heard of Jason Reitman's Young Adult, I got pretty excited. With great films like Up In the Air and Juno on this guy's resume, I figured we were in for a real treat. Those black comedies that Reitman's has done in the past have a great blend of humor and drama. Given this, I expected more of that same good stuff in Young Adult, especially considering that Charlize Theron is starrin...
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REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a Fun Game of Wits

Posted by James Brown on Friday, December 16, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, and Rachel McAdams

We've seriously been lacking good, entertaining blockbusters in recent months. The most popular flick we have to show for the fall up to this point is The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, which is a really sad statement. While Hollywood has been complaining about record lows for attendance this year at the box office, they continu...
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REVIEW: To Be Porn Or Not To Be Porn? That Is the Question For Shame

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 3, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Shame

Directed By: Steve McQueen

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, Nicole Beharie, and James Badge Dale

I will never ever forget that I saw Steve McQueen's Shame on this night. Given the well-deserved NC-17 rating for the film, there's a lot of material with which I can play here on Sobriety Test. It's like Steve McQueen went into this film thinking about all the different ways and positions in which his star Michael Fassbender could have sex or jerk off. When looking at the menu ...
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REVIEW: We Bought a Zoo Is Better Than It Looks, Seriously

Posted by James Brown on Monday, November 28, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

We Bought a Zoo

Directed By: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Matt Damon, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning, Colin Ford, Scarlett Johansson, and Desi Lydic

The holidays inevitably bring lots of attempts by Hollywood to make heartwarming films. More often than not, they're a bunch of sappy crap, but every once in a while, a good family film is made that's both stirring and realistic. When I heard acclaimed director and screenwriter Cameron Crowe was tackling the story of Benjamin Mee in We Bought a Zoo,...
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REVIEW: Happy Feet Two Thinks It's a Champion But Will Only Rock You a Little

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 19, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Happy Feet Two

Directed By: George Miller

Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink, Sofia Vergara, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Hank Azaria, Johnny A. Sanchez, Lombardo Boyar, Carlos Alazraqui, Michael Cornachia, Danny Mann, Meibh Campbell, Lil P-Nut, and Mark Klastorin

There is one theory about movies that almost never fails. Sequels cannot outdo original films. There are a few rare exceptions to this like The Empire Strikes Back, The Lord of the Rings: The Return...
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REVIEW: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor in Immortals

Posted by James Brown on Friday, November 11, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Immortals

Directed By: Tarsem Singh

Starring: Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz, Freida Pinto, Mickey Rourke, and John Hurt

There's something refreshing about watching a guy chopping off another guy's head and kicking his carcass off a cliff. The popcorn and beer taste so much better when bludgeoned and bloodied bodies are flying left and right. Four years ago, the adaptation of Frank Miller's 300 showed us just how much blood, gore, and kickass stunts action...
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REVIEW: Tower Heist Is The Eddie Murphy Show Plus A Few Guest Stars

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 5, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Tower Heist

Directed By: Brett Ratner

Starring: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe

In recent years, film trailers have become a bit of a contentious issue for moviegoers. Many think that trailers have gotten better because they can make folks salivate at the mouth for the next Transformers or Twilight. I'm not gonna lie. Some trailers are pretty damn awesome. However, others argue that trailers have gotten pretty...
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REVIEW: The Rum Diary Proudly Stumbles Into Theaters in a Drunken Stupor

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 30, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

The Rum Diary

Directed By: Bruce Robinson

Starring: Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, and Giovanni Ribisi

What's so special about the Sixties? Sure, they had MLK, JFK, and hippies, but studios have fallen for this decade a bit too hard lately. After the success of AMC's Mad Men, shows like Pan Am and the short-lived The Playboy Club started popping up everywhere. The small screen wasn't good enough however. We also had films like Hairspray, Get Smart,...
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REVIEW: Supernatural Horror Flick Paranormal Activity 3 Is All Too Natural

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 22, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Paranormal Activity 3

Directed By: Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost

Starring: Lauren Bittner, Christopher Nicholas Smith, Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Kate Featherston and Sprague Grayden

By the time you get around to the third installment in a horror franchise, the filmmakers have probably used all their tricks. Viewers could predict every move by Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, or Michael Myers in the third flicks of their respective film series. How many ways can a serial killer use a...
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REVIEW: Footloose Let's Loose But Can't Find the Right Decade

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 16, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Footloose

Directed By: Craig Brewer

Starring: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Andie MacDowell, and Dennis Quaid

In X-Men: First Class, Kevin Bacon's character Sebastian Shaw has the ability to absorb energy and preserve his youth. If Bacon could use this mutant power in real life, I would certainly drink to that. We could have definitely used his talent in Footloose, this newly released remake of this 1984 hit. There's no doubt that Craig Brewer's remake of Footloose is fun and enjoyable, but ...
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REVIEW: Warrior is a Decent Sports Flick Worth a Few Rounds

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Warrior

Directed By: Gavin O'Connor

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, and Nick Nolte

There's an unique euphoria we all get from watching people beat the hell out of each other for a couple of hours in a great sports flick. It just makes us feel good inside. The mixed martial arts (MMA) film Warrior has plenty of great moments, but it drowns in unnecessary drama.

Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte) is a former alcoholic whose addictive and abusive tendencies ripped his family apart years ago. His wife...
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REVIEW: Colombiana is a B-Movie with Style

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, August 30, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Colombiana

Directed By: Olivier Megaton

Starring: Zoe Saldana, Cliff Curtis, Michael Vartan, Lennie James, Amandla Stenberg, and Jordi Mollá

I generally have low expectations for movies that are released during the month of August. Hollywood throws a lot of crap at moviegoers at this time. It's not quite the summer season with big budget blockbusters every week, nor is it the fall season with high-quality films contending for awards. Colombiana, starring Zoe Saldana, is a pleasant surprise d...
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REVIEW: Conan Has Its Flaws, But It's Bloody Fun

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Conan the Barbarian

Directed By: Marcus Nispel

Starring: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, and Rachel Nichols

August is a weird month of the film year. The blockbuster season is not quite over, while the fall season hasn't quite begun. The transition has always been turbulent at best. Hollywood doesn't know how to go from releasing big budget summer blockbusters to their lower budget counterparts. In the last few weeks, we've had Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Final Dest...
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REVIEW: Crazy, Stupid, Love. Is Fun But Not Crazy, Stupid Fun

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Directed By: Glen Ficarra and John Requa

Starring: Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone

Crazy, Stupid, Love. That's an interesting title for a film that really stands out. It's unique. It's captivating. It's sentimental. Much like it's catchy title, the film is all of these things. Crazy, Stupid, Love. is far from the typical romantic comedy, and that's refreshing to see on the big screen. In this summer season during which moviegoers have been...
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REVIEW: Captain America Is An Old School Hero With Style

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 7, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Captain America: The First Avenger

Directed By: Joe Johnston

Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, and Stanley Tucci

In the age of caped crusaders, reformed weapons developers, and Norse gods, it's refreshing to see a wholesome American superhero in the tradition of Superman and Spider-Man. In recent years, we have definitely been missing this in the comic book film genre. Most superheroes these days on the big screen are flawed in...
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REVIEW: The Bosses Aren't So Bad in Horrible Bosses

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, August 2, 2011, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine

Horrible Bosses

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, and Jamie Foxx

I measure great comedies by how hard I laugh during them. The funniest movies make me laugh until I cry. Bridesmaids set the bar for comedies this summer. I haven't laughed (and cried) that much during a movie in years. So far, it's been a pretty tough act to follow. The Hangover: Part II was literally The Hangover with a location chang...
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