REVIEW: In The Oranges, the Old Cow Eating the Young Grass Does Not Lead to a Happy Movie

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 6, 2012 In : 0.09% Cocktails 

The Oranges





Directed By: Julian Farino

Starring: Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Catherine Keener, Adam Brody, Alia Shawkat, Oliver Platt, and Allison Janney

New Jersey.  The Garden State.  The state where you can't pump your own gas.  It's not exactly the hottest travel destination (for good reason).  It's suburbia.  It's where urbanites go to die.  With this in mind, it's the perfect location for a film like the dramedy The Oranges.  Nothing quite says quintessential suburban life like the ...


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REVIEW: I'm Not Getting Good Vibrations About The Paperboy. This is a Weird One!

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 6, 2012 In : 0.09% Cocktails 

The Paperboy





Directed By: Lee Daniels

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, and Scott Glenn

Every once in a while, I catch a flick that leaves me feeling weird afterward.  I don't know quite how to describe it.  A film of this nature leaves me with seven words streaming through my mind: "What the hell did I just watch?".  These flicks typically come out of left field, and it takes a while for me to process everything I've witnessed.  ...


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REVIEW: When a Dog Gets a Bone, It Makes a Sequel...Taken 2

Posted by James Brown on Friday, October 5, 2012 In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 

Taken 2





Directed By: Olivier Megaton

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, and Rade Šerbedžija

Taken was one awesome movie.  Despite the mediocrity around him, Liam Neeson rose to the occasion to turn a formulaic action flick into something much, much more.  Over the last four years, the film has become a beloved cult film.  When I first learned of the sequel Taken 2, I thought Liam Neeson would come back and give us everything we loved about the original all over again.  It ...


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REVIEW: Hotel Transylvania May Be Paradise for Monsters, But It's Not My Zing

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 30, 2012 In : 0.09% Cocktails 

Hotel Transylvania

Kids' Rating:


Adults' Rating:




Directed By: Genndy Tartakovsky

Starring: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, John Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, and David Spade

Animated films have really taken a dark turn in recent weeks.  While we had lighter films like The Lorax and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted earlier in the year, we've now got studios bringing all kinds of monsters, ghouls, and witches to life for the kids.  We...


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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...


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REVIEW: Though Won't Back Down Says "Yes We Can", This Movie Really Has No Hope

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 30, 2012 In : 0.09% Cocktails 

Won't Back Down





Directed By: Daniel Barnz

Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter, Oscar Isaac, Rosie Perez, Ving Rhames, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Sometimes, I watch a trailer, and I just know a movie will be bad.  I don't have to have any reasons.  I don't have to have any evidence.  I just know.  More often than not, I'm unfortunately right.  I just knew that I was in for a bad one when I saw the trailer for the drama Won't Back Down several months ago.  Because the movie ...


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REVIEW: Butter - Jennifer Garner Versus An African Iowan

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, September 30, 2012 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Butter
SoberFilmChick




Directed by: Jim Field Smith

Starring:  Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Olivia Wilde, Yara Shahidi, Hugh Jackman, Alicia Silverstone


When I saw the trailer for Butter, I was incredibly excited. The premise looked interesting; and the cast boasted movie stars, as well as television actors from Modern Family, The Office and 30 Rock.  Moreover, it is a Weinstein Company production. How could it go wrong?  Having just viewed Butter, I must say that the film did not disappoint.

Butte...
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REVIEW: Looper Closes the Loop. Bruce Willis is Killing It!

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 29, 2012 In : 0.00% Water 

Looper





Directed By: Rian Johnson

Starring: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, and Jeff Daniels

Time travel is quintessentially sci-fi.  Some of the greatest sci-fi flicks have turned the time and space continuum on its head.  What would cinema be like today if Marty McFly never went back to 1955 or if the Terminator never went back in time to kill John Connor?  Time travel is a cornerstone of the science fiction genre, and Rian Johnson decid...


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REVIEW: Dear Friend, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is Infinitely Entertaining

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 29, 2012 In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower





Directed By: Stephen Chbosky

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd, Kate Walsh, and Dylan McDermott

It's been a long time since we've had a good teen movie.  These days, Hollywood spews crap at us like Prom and I Love You, Beth Cooper.  It's rare that we actually get a worthwhile flick that deals with growing up, surviving high school, and finding the right group of friends.  It's been a long time since the heyday of John Hughes when we w...


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REVIEW: 10 Years Tries Too Hard to Be the Best You've Never Had

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 23, 2012 In : 0.09% Cocktails 

10 Years





Directed By: Jamie Linden

Starring: Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Kate Mara, Chris Pratt, Scott Porter, Brian Geraghty, Anthony Mackie, Rosario Dawson, Oscar Isaac, Lynn Collins, Max Minghella, Juliet Lopez, Aaron Yoo, Kelly Noonan, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, and Aubrey Plaza

Hollywood has a tendency to rely on its older, more proven talents to portray younger characters.  Because of this, we sometimes don't relate to characters that are our age and are going through struggles similar to our...


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