Showing Tag: " mystery" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: The Girl on the Train Is a Mysteriously Dull Whodunnit

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 15, 2016, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
The Girl on the Train






Directed By: Tate Taylor

Starring: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, Édgar Ramírez, and Lisa Kudrow

The 2016 awards season is off to its unofficial start (it really begins in earnest next month by most standards), and I have an interesting prediction this year.  For the better part of this decade, we've had knockout films that have garnered a whole hell of a lot of prestige released in this month.  Think 12 Years A S...

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REVIEW: The Facts Behind Mr. Holmes' Long Life on the Big Screen Include Royal Jelly, Prickly Ash & the Delightful Charms of Sir Ian McKellen

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 19, 2015, In : 0.00% Water 
Mr. Holmes





Directed By: Bill Condon

Starring: Sir Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Milo Parker

In the pantheon of British fictional characters, there are three reigning kings.  Harry Potter certainly has a place in our hearts with the magic he's to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in recent years.  MI-6 secret agent James Bond has had us preferring our martinis shaken not stirred for more than half a century now.  The most iconic British character of them all, however, ...

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REVIEW: In True Story, Shortstop Christian Longo Gives Mike Finkel of The New York Times a Double Negative Wink

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 19, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
True Story





Directed By: Rupert Goold

Starring: Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones, Gretchen Mol, Betty Gilpin, and John Sharian

Both James Franco and Jonah Hill are extremely versatile actors.  Having appeared in superhero movies, comedies, dramas, animated films, and everything in between over the years, these two are now perhaps a bit overexposed.  I'm a fan of both of them.  However, they're always in something at the box office.  It's time for them to take a little break.  With fourtee...
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REVIEW: Mortdecai – An Offbeat Action Comedy That Never Realizes Its Full Potential

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, January 26, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Mortdecai
SoberFilmChick




Directed by:  David Koepp

Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, and Jeff Goldblum

Johnny Depp has entertained us for decades with quirky, fun characters from his roles in Cry-Baby to Edwards Scissorhands to the Pirates of the Caribbean series.  Depp thrives on playing weird, offbeat characters.  Recently, however, his choices have missed the mark.  From The Lone Ranger to Transcendence, Depp has had flop after flop.  Sadly, Mort...
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REVIEW: Thanks to A Sugar Storm at The Bar, Gone Girl Amazing Amy Dunne Trounces Her Husband Nick's Killer Smile

Posted by James Brown on Friday, October 3, 2014, In : 0.00% Water 
Gone Girl





Directed By: David Fincher

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, and Scoot McNairy

"What are you thinking?  What are you feeling?  What have we done to each other?  What will we do?"
-Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck)

Awards season has begun on a rather wicked note.  Oddly enough, I find myself in the peculiar position of kicking things off admitting just how wrong I was about a movie.  That movie is David Fincher's Gone Girl.  I haven't read the boo...
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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: In the House Is All About Math Tutor Claude Peeping Through the Keyhole at Middle Class Woman Esther and Her Watercolors

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 12, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
In the House





Directed By: François Ozon

Starring: Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, Yolande Moreau, and Denis Ménochet

I write so many reviews that I find myself struggling sometimes to get a review started.  Writing my fifth review this weekend, I've once again found myself in this very familiar place, stuck on the introduction.  I don't have a damn clue what to write to get this review on In the House going.  Fittingly, this indie is a film that's all ...
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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...


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REVIEW: Mr. Boogie is Anything But Sinister. Try Infinitely Boring.

Posted by James Brown on Friday, October 12, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 
Sinister





Directed By: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, Fred Thompson, James Ransone, Clare Foley, and Michael Hall D'Addario

Halloween is on the horizon. That means it's the season of crappy horror movies! That's unfortunately what we as moviegoers are subjected to on an annual basis. A couple of long-running franchises such as Paranormal Activity or Saw release their next terrible installments, and a few newcomers typically fall flat. This weekend, we have a horror newbie...
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REVIEW: Quoth The Raven, "Nevermore Shall I Torture Myself with This Crap!"

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 28, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
The Raven





Directed By: James McTeigue

Starring: John Cusack, Alice Eve, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Luke Evans, Kevin McNally, Pam Ferris, Sergej Trifunovic, Ian Virgo, and Sam Hazeldine

2012 supposedly marks the end of the world.  Since I'm writing this review, I'm inclined to think otherwise.  Hell, I'd argue that 2012 marks the year history will be rewritten.  We've got Abraham Lincoln becoming a vampire hunter.  We've got Snow White becoming an action hero.  We've even got Edgar Allan Poe becoming...
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REVIEW: Gone is a Well-Intentioned Thriller on Crack

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 25, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Gone





Directed By: Heitor Dhalia

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, and Wes Bentley

Amanda Seyfried is one actress who is definitely on the rise.  She has the talent to do great things in her career.  She just hasn't had the right roles.  Having been in films such as Dear John, Jennifer's Body, and Red Riding Hood, she hasn't exactly built a stellar filmography.  Seyfried is so much better than the films she makes.  Unfortunately, she's added another bad film to her résumé — Heito...
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