Showing Tag: "comedy" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: Battle of the Sexes Pits Lobber Sugar Daddy Bobby Riggs Up Against Libber Women's Tennis Superstar Billie Jean King

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 30, 2017, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Battle of the Sexes

Directed By: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell, Eric Christian Olsen, and Andrea Riseborough

I've been away from STMR for quite a while now, and the reason has primarily been that I've had nothing to say. It's nice to have been on the sidelines as the summer box office tanked and as the masses ignored their local cineplexes. Quality wasn't there on the big screen...

REVIEW: When NASA Faces A Go / No Go Decision for John Glenn & the Friendship 7, Hidden Figures Working As Colored Computers Save the Day

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 21, 2017, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Hidden Figures

Directed By: Theodore Melfi

Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, and Aldis Hodge

History is told by those who wield the pen or the mic. What we often remember is what we're told to remember over and over again by those in a position to tell it. This is particularly true when it comes to the contributions made by African-Americans that have been vital to the success of the United States. From the free slave labor...

REVIEW: Bridget Jones’s Baby - The Mary Magdalene Of London Faces A Geriatric Pregnancy In This Hilarious Rom Com

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, October 10, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Bridget Jones's Baby
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Sharon Macguire

Starring: Renee Zellwegger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent, and Gemma Jones

Initially, I was underwhelmed at the prospect of a new Bridget Jones film. To be frank, I did not think a sequel would resonate so many years later, and I would be left with the same “meh” feeling I had after watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Much to my surprise and delight, Bridget Jones’s Baby delivers laughs and warm...

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: With Chocolate Ice Cream & Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Southside With You Is One Stark Reminder of the Good Times with the Obamas

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 27, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Southside With You

Directed By: Richard Tanne

Starring: Parker Sawyers, Tika Sumpter, and Vanessa Bell Calloway

2016 has been one wild election year. One thing that has come of the political tumult is that Americans are reminded just how good we have it with our current Commander-in-Chief. While Secretary Clinton tries to dance away from the perceptions of impropriety during her tenure at the State Department courtesy of the Clinton Foundation and Donald Trump talks about black people and flip...

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: Playing Carnegie Hall for True Music Lovers Despite Syphilis, Florence Foster Jenkins Sings Though She Can't Sing

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 21, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Florence Foster Jenkins

Directed By: Stephen Frears

Starring: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Nina Arianda

Director Stephen Frears has chosen some interesting stories to tell over the years, and he's worked with some great leading ladies over the years. He directed Helen Mirren in her triumphant portrayal of living royalty in The Queen. He guided Dame Judi Dench in her journey as an elderly mother retracing her long lost son's steps in Philomena. This year, he g...

REVIEW: Touching Tips & Jeopardizing the Great Beyond in Sausage Party, Frank & Brenda Go Down the Comedy Aisle at Shopwell

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 13, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Sausage Party

Directed By: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon

Starring: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek

There's been an onslaught of animated fare at the box office. Zootopia, Finding Dory, and The Secret Life of Pets are just a few of the films that have dominated the cinemas over the course of the year. This is without even considering the multitude ...

REVIEW: Indignation Features Son of a Kosher Butcher & Atheist Marcus Messner Spurning Dean Caudwell & The Winesburg Chapel

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 13, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

Indignation

Directed By: James Schamus

Starring: Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts, Linda Emond, Danny Burstein, Ben Rosenfield, Pico Alexander, Philip Ettinger, and Noah Robbins

I'm really enjoying my return to independent film. The timing couldn't have been better. As the mainstream box office continues to largely disappoint, arthouse cinemas are here to pick up the pieces of aficionados' dashes hopes, as long as we're willing to indulge indie filmmakers' tendencies to experiment and di...

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: 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: With the Fourth Cataclysm At Hand, The Ghost Girls Become Ghostbusters

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 16, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Ghostbusters

Directed By: Paul Feig

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Charles Dance, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Chris Hemsworth

There's been one tragedy after another as of late. It seems that there is a terrorist attack, a mass shooting, or police killings on an all too frequent basis these days. Orlando. Istanbul. Nice. Baton Rouge. Dallas. The Twin Cities. The list sadly goes on and on and on. All our prayers at STMR are certainly with those 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: 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: With Sorority Kappa Nu Rising & Mac and Kelly's Home in Escrow, Everyone is Chasing Five Buckets of Money in Neighbors 2

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 22, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

Directed By: Nicholas Stoller

Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco, Kiersey Clemons, and Ike Barinholtz

It wouldn't be the summer movie season without a mindless comedy. I'm talking about the kind of comedy where logic does not rule and crude is far from rude. Between the prospect of the Donald hearing "Hail to the Chief" everywhere he goes and planes dropping out of the sky like raindrops, we could all use a laugh or two ri...

REVIEW: Despite Bird Protesters, Misty Mountains & Nixon's Angel of Death, The Nice Guys Will Be Happy

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 22, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Nice Guys

Directed By: Shane Black

Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, and Kim Basinger

There are some folks in the industry who may not be widely known despite a well-documented history of commercial success. Shane Black is most definitely one of these individuals. He's the man who played a pivotal role in shaping mainstream action flicks into what they are today with his screenplays for Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2. He's ...

REVIEW: With Black Shoes & Duran Duran, Sing Street Lead Cosmo Solves The Happy Sad Riddle of the Model Raphina

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 24, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Sing Street

Directed By: John Carney

Starring: Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Aidan Gillen, Jack Reynor, Kelly Thornton, and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo

2016 has been a hard year for music aficionados of all genres. We've lost a lot of legends this year. The names are iconic to say the least. David Bowie, Natalie Cole, Phife Dawg, Glenn Frey, Maurice White, and many others have transitioned to the next life in the last several months leaving legacies that will endure for years to come. This weeke...

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: Because Money Talks & BS Walks, The Boss Michelle Darnell & Her Darlings Serve Up Half-Baked Brownies to Renault (Ronald)

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 10, 2016, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Boss

Directed By: Ben Falcone

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Ella Anderson, Tyler Labine, Annie Mumolo, Kristen Schaal, Margo Martindale, and Kathy Bates

Since the release of Bridesmaids some five years ago now, Melissa McCarthy has been an unstoppable force on the big screen. The proof is in the pudding of her filmography. She's had some quality films in recent years. Just look to films such as The Heat, St. Vincent, and Spy. There's a flip side to the McCarth...

REVIEW: From the Sound Machine to Dorm Room 307, Everybody Wants Some of Richard Linklater's Baseball F*ckwithery

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 2, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Everybody Wants Some!!

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Starring: Blake Jenner, Zoey Deutch, Will Brittain, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Glen Powell, Wyatt Russell, and J. Quinton Johnson

It must be April Fool's Day because I really can't write this stuff. Oscar-winning director of Birdman Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu starts a winning streak by rolling out The Revenant. Meanwhile, his biggest competition (and last year's more deserving winner), Boyhood director Richard Linklater goes back to di...

REVIEW: When Lilith Primrose Thinks I'm Possible, She Says Hello My Name Is Doris

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 2, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Hello My Name Is Doris

Directed By: Michael Showalter

Starring: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne, and Tyne Daly

Unless you're Meryl Streep, good roles don't often come for leading ladies of a certain age. That's how Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, and Angela Bassett end up on FX in American Horror Story. That's how Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin end up on Netflix in Grace & Frankie. That's how Sally Field ends up on ABC in B...

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: Up Back Forward Down! With Bo Derek, Milk, & Broken Glasses in Blake's Biscuits, Eddie the Eagle Has Landed In His Moment

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 27, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Eddie the Eagle

Directed By: Dexter Fletcher

Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jim Broadbent, and Christopher Walken

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well."

-Pierre de Coubertin

There's nothing better than a surprise treat at the box office. I typically don't have too many of these, especially this time of year. In the last three weeks, however, I've had three rather enjoyable cinematic ...

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: Wham! Deadpool & His X-Men Make It Big With Their Bloody, Hilarious Answer to Francis's What's My Name

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 13, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Deadpool

Directed By: Tim Miller

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, and Stefan Kapicic

2016 is the year of the comic book movie. The release schedule is all the proof you need. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Captain America: Civil War. X-Men: Apocalypse. Suicide Squad. Gambit. Doctor Strange. This year is unlike any other in terms of the sheer number of Marvel and DC properties arriving on the big screen, and it may ...

REVIEW: Fifty Shades of Black – An Hour and Thirty-Five Minutes of a Shirtless Marlon Wayans

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Fifty Shades of Black

Directed by: Michael Tiddes

Starring: Marlon Wayans, Kali Hawk, Jane Seymour, Mike Epps, Affion Crockett, and Jenny Zigrino

As I was leaving a showing of Fifty Shades of Black, an irate woman remarked, “Is it too late to get my money back?” That question succinctly sums up my thoughts on Fifty Shades and I could literally end my review with that question. But alas, Sobriety Test Movie Reviews must analyze Marlon Wayans’ spoof of Fifty Shades of Grey. Fifty Shades ...

REVIEW: When Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Apple Mojitos, Anomalisa Chooses A Belvedere Martini Straight Up With a Twist

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 16, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Anomalisa

Directed By: Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson

Starring: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tom Noonan

This awards season is shaping up to be pretty intriguing with regard to animated fare. The two films going head to head are Inside Out and Anomalisa. In one corner, you have an innocent but brilliant exploration of the inner workings of a child's mind and the competing emotions within it. The fifteenth film from Pixar is no doubt a landmark achievement. In the other corner, w...
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REVIEW: Given Gucci Toilets, Hydrangeas & Mrs. Black Hammer, Ride Along 2 Certainly Doesn't Boast Blentlemen Brothers in Law

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 16, 2016, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Ride Along 2

Directed By: Tim Story

Starring: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Ken Jeong, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Bruce McGill, and Tika Sumpter

I have no love lost for the original Ride Along, but it unfortunately made a decent chunk of change at the box office. Given this, the greed machine that is Hollywood greenlit a totally unnecessary sequel. That sequel arrives at the box office this weekend and is taking Kevin Hart and Ice Cube's less-than-interesting bromance to Miami. It saddens me to say...
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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: With the Power of Soap Opera Character Danica & the Next Tom Jones, Joy Becomes Friends in Commerce With QVC Executive Neil Walker

Posted by James Brown on Monday, December 28, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Joy

Directed By: David O. Russell

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Dascha Polanco, and Bradley Cooper

Recurring actor-director collaborations happen fairly often. We call the actors in these collaborations the directors' muses. Alfred Hitchcock had James Stewart (and his blonds). Martin Scorsese had Robert De Niro (and now Leonardo DiCaprio). Steven Spielberg has Tom Hanks. Quentin Tarantino has Samuel L. Jackson...

REVIEW: Up 489% on Its Initial Investment, The Big Short Serves Up One Damn Good Ice Cream Sundae With Sprinkles & A Cherry On Top

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 24, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

The Big Short

Directed By: Adam McKay

Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, Rafe Spall, Marisa Tomei, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Adepero Oduye, and Max Greenfield

It's amazing how the best films can catch moviegoers by surprise. 2015 hasn't been a year boasting the strongest awards season contenders. Sure, we have Bridge of Spies, Room, and Brooklyn. The problem is, however, that there seems to be no front runner. This isn't a year o...

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: For the Simple Song of His Youth, Composer Fred Ballinger Lives Life's Last Day with a Little Levity

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 20, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Youth

Directed By: Paolo Sorrentino

Starring: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and Jane Fonda

The Great Beauty was a high mark for Paolo Sorrentino two years ago, and I've got nothing but respect for Sorrentino's Oscar-winning artistic achievement, which just happens to be one of my favorite movies featuring the Eternal City. With this in mind, I came into his latest endeavor Youth with a certain curiosity. When you factor in the incredible cast of beloved thespians he's ...

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: Immigrant Eilis Lacey Has a Fun Choice Between the Irish Catholic Life With Jim or the Brooklyn Dodgers Life With Tony

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, November 26, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Brooklyn

Directed By: John Crowley

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Jessica Paré, Eve Macklin, Nora-Jane Noone, and Emily Bett Rickards

Immigrant-themed period piece Brooklyn couldn't have had more perfect timing for its release. It's a time when courts are blocking President Obama's executive action on immigration reform. It's a time when Donald Trump and his fellow Republican presidential contenders are indoctrinating their base with the ...

REVIEW: Not Full of Too Many Beautiful Moments, Love the Coopers Is A Bit Too Unguarded

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, November 26, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Love the Coopers

Directed By: Jessie Nelson

Starring: Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, Amanda Seyfried, June Squibb, Marisa Tomei, and Olivia Wilde

Several weeks ago, veteran actor Alan Arkin suffered a minor stroke. We at STMR want to wish
him a safe and speedy recovery during this holiday season. Looking at this situation, I must say that it's really surprising how life can imitate art at times. As fate would have it, Arkin's character suffers a m...

REVIEW: The Intern Ben Whittaker Charms Jules Ostin & Her About The Fit (ATF) Staff With A Handkerchief & A Briefcase

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 27, 2015,

The Intern

Directed By: Nancy Meyers

Starring: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, and Adam DeVine

Republicans have gotten away with spewing record amounts of crap at voters over the last several months. From Planned Parenthood selling fetal organs on the black market to Social Security becoming solvent again with tax revenues from pimps and prostitutes, it's safe to say that this has been one of the most bizarre election years of most of our lifetimes. The central tenet underlying the p...

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: Despite the Silk Night Sky of Ricki and the Flash, Meryl Streep Doesn't Rock Here

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, August 12, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Ricki and the Flash

Directed By: Jonathan Demme

Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Sebastian Stan, Rick Springfield, and Ben Platt

There is no one in Hollywood right now who can touch Meryl Streep. With nineteen Oscar nods and counting, the sky's the limit for the iconic actress. I'd argue that this late period of her career has been one of her most productive times on the big screen. The proof is in just how much product she's been putting out in recent years....

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: For Gamers Brenner, Wonder Kid, Fireblaster & Chewie Need Cheat Codes Instead of Light Cannons to Make Pixels Worthwhile

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 26, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Pixels

Directed By: Chris Columbus

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Brian Cox, Ashley Benson, and Jane Krakowski

I've really come to despise Adam Sandler movies in recent years. For some strange reason, however, I held out hope for Pixels. After all, its premise is more than just Sandler waltzing around screen giving American cinema a bad name. Pixels is about the characters that laid the foundation of the gaming world we know and love today. ...

REVIEW: Despite the Mets, The Dog Walker & Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, Monogamy Isn't Realistic for Trainwreck's Amy Schumer Until It Is

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 19, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Trainwreck

Directed By: Judd Apatow

Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, LeBron James, Mike Birbiglia, Vanessa Bayer, Ezra Miller, and Tilda Swinton

Romantic comedies are dying a slow death at the mainstream box office. With just About Time, That Awkward Moment, and About Last Night joining the ranks in the last couple of years, it's clear that tales of blissful romance have gone by the wayside. Every once in a while, we're reminded that this endangered speci...

REVIEW: Minions – Hey, Hey It’s The Minions, But Gru Is Missing

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Minions
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, and Geoffrey Rush

The Despicable Me franchise is one of the most successful animated series of all time. The films are well made with interesting plots and fast-paced, biting dialogue. As characters, the minions have been an integral part of the Despicable Me movies. However, the focus of the films has largely been on Steve Carrell’s lead character ...
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REVIEW: During The Overnight, Kurt & Charlotte Make New Friends in Alex & Emily With Their Expansion Courtesy of Mommy's Milk

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 12, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Overnight

Directed By: Patrick Brice

Starring: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, and Judith Godrèche

We've been overdue for some weird ones at the box office. We've had quirky movies but not those kinds of strikingly weird movies that render moviegoers speechless. I'm talking about the kinds of movies that leave you wondering what the hell you're watching on the big screen and why you ever would have paid good money to see something like them in the first place. Well, my l...
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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: Help Me Home Because Ted 2 Offers Plenty of Fresh Cakes of Comedy

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 28, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Ted 2

Directed By: Seth MacFarlane

Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman, Jessica Barth, Giovanni Ribisi, and John Slattery

The thunder buddies for life are back, and they seem to be ready-made for 2015. From Deflate Gate's Tom Brady to Taken 3's Liam Neeson, the flood of perfectly timed pop culture references says it all. With The Breakfast Club turning 30 back in February, Ted's library dance moves certainly pay homage to the signature John Hughes coming-o...
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REVIEW: The Part Where You Respect the Research On the Doomed Friendships of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 14, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Directed By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, Ronald Cyler II, Jon Bernthal, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, and Molly Shannon

We've had a terrific run of coming-of-age movies in recent years. Boyhood, The Way, Way Back, The Spectacular Now, Short Term 12, Mud, and The Kings of Summer have all risen to the occasion at one point or another in the last several years. What's so marvelous about this list of quality movies is that they're all so...
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REVIEW: Love & Mercy Is All About the Beach Boys' Paranoid Schizophrenic Brian Wilson

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 14, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Love & Mercy

Directed By: Bill Pohlad

Starring: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, and Paul Giamatti

I would be lying if I were to say that am a huge fan of the Beach Boys. I'm familiar with their discography, and I respect what they accomplished in their day. However, I'm not exactly rocking to their tunes on Amazon Prime. That being said, this doesn't mean that I can't appreciate Brian Wilson's tale. After all, there's a rich story to be told here. A musical heavyweight whose career...
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REVIEW: I'll See You In My Dreams With An Appletini & A Black Rat

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 14, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

I'll See You In My Dreams

Directed By: Brett Haley

Starring: Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place

I'm one who frequently espouses the notion that we go to the movies and get exposed to different worlds, different cultures, and different ways of thinking. While I certainly still cling to this belief, I'd also argue that we go to the movies to escape from the reality of our own lives. We catch a flick after a long day at work. We...
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REVIEW: The Personal Trainers at Austin's Power4Life Deliver Humorous Results Because No Fear Excuses Surrender

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 13, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Results

Directed By: Andrew Bujalski

Starring: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Brooklyn Decker, Anthony Michael Hall, Tishuan Scott, Zoe Graham, David Bernon, and Constance Zimmer

You may have noticed that I've been quiet on the independent film front lately. The reason for this is that I have a day job, and my personal life has kept me fairly busy lately. With this, I've slowed down my pace a bit. All that being said, I haven't forgotten about STMR or my love of ...
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REVIEW: Entourage – Vince And The Boys Should Have Stayed On The Small Screen

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, June 7, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Entourage
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Doug Ellin

Starring: Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Adrien Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Billy Bob Thornton, and Ronda Rousey

Entertainment Weekly Radio held a town hall with the Entourage cast on SiriusXm. During the broadcast, the cast was asked why they decided to turn their hit HBO series into a movie. One of the cast members responded that once they saw how much money the Sex and the City movie made, the Entourage crew decided they could make t...
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REVIEW: Whether Penny Morgan or Amber Valentine, Spy Susan Cooper Finds Her Calling Chasing Rayna, De Luca, & Renaldo

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 6, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Spy

Directed By: Paul Feig

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Nargis Fakhri, Allison Janney, and Jude Law

Director Paul Feig seems to have a comedic muse, and her name is Melissa McCarthy. In 2011, she was a supporting but integral contributor to the genius comedy Bridesmaids. Alongside Sandra Bullock, McCarthy then headlined Feig's next feature in 2013, the buddy action comedy The Heat. Some two years later, Feig and McCarthy are reuniting on...
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REVIEW: Despite Gilchrest & Ng's Chemistry, The Payload from Aloha's Global One Is Indeed Nuclear

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 31, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Aloha

Directed By: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, and Alec Baldwin

Unexpectedly bad movies are the worst. It's a game of expectations that we've all lost. You go into the theater expecting a halfway decent movie at a minimum. Instead, you get nothing but garbage for your time and money. When you expect very little at the box office, a movie can either meet your expectations by sucking or exceed them by pleasantl...
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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: Hot Pursuit – The Joke? Sofia Vergara Is Old & Reese Witherspoon Is Short

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, May 9, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Hot Pursuit
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Anne Fletcher

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara, Robert Zakinsky, and Richard T. Jones

Presumably in an effort to offer an alternative to Avengers: Age of Ultron, Warner Brothers released a female buddy comedy this week, Hot Pursuit. At first glance, the pairing of Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon with television darling Sofia Vergara seems like a grand idea. Witherspoon, while known for her dramatic turns, has found success with comedies ...
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REVIEW: In the Old Fashioned 5 to 7, Writer Brian Bloom & His Perfect Love The Mermaid Arielle Swing from the Heels

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 26, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

5 to 7

Directed By: Victor Levin

Starring: Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe, Glenn Close, Frank Langella, Lambert Wilson, and Olivia Thirlby

"I will hold your heart more tenderly than my own."
-Valery & Arielle (Lambert Wilson & Bérénice Marlohe)

I've noted this on several occasions before, but the best films often help me to either broaden or reassess my perspective on this big blue world in which we live. I've rarely said this about films tackling matters of the heart, however. All that bei...
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REVIEW: Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 Offers Moviegoers Anything But A Rocky Mountain Steed

Posted by James Brown on Monday, April 20, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Directed By: Andy Fickman

Starring: Kevin James, Neal McDonough, Daniella Alonso, David Henrie, Raini Rodriguez, Loni Love, and Geovanni Gopradi

I've been starting to think that I've been getting softer as a movie critic. I've been giving fewer wasted ratings. I've not had any recent urges to walk out of movies. To take the cake, I can't even remember the last time I wrote an angry movie review. All of these thoughts came to a screeching halt this weekend when I saw Pa...
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REVIEW: With Darby's Ice Cream & Arthritis Arthritis, While We're Young Has No Process in Finding the Beautiful Truth of Life

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 5, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

While We're Young

Directed By: Noah Baumbach

Starring: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin, Adam Horovitz, and Maria Dizzia

I've still got a few good years left in my twenties, but I do realize that time is ticking away. Thankfully, I'm not at the beginning of some long monologue about getting older. I am, however, at the beginning of a rather interesting realization about how the generational gap widens with each passing generation. We live longer than ever...
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REVIEW: Hey, Baby Doll! As Danny Collins, Al Pacino Gets His Patter Back With the Camera Thanks to a Letter from John Lennon

Posted by James Brown on Monday, March 30, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Danny Collins

Directed By: Dan Fogelman

Starring: Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer, Melissa Benoist, and Josh Peck

A couple of years ago, I heard of this challenge for film aficionados called Mount Rushmore. It essentially entails naming one's four favorite actors who would be on their cinematic Rushmore, figuratively speaking. Without a shadow of a doubt, the one person who has a guaranteed spot on mine is the iconic Al Pacino. In my humble opi...
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REVIEW: Get Hard Kiesters Bad Comedy Given Mayo's Status With the Crenshaw Kings for Life & Chocolate's Flailing Hollywood Luxury Bubbles

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 28, 2015,

Get Hard

Directed By: Etan Cohen

Starring: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Edwina Findley, and Craig T. Nelson

Starbucks, one mighty brand in American commerce, had a rare public relations misstep recently. The company's decision to promote their baristas as experts on race relations in the United States really backfired to say the least. That's right. The young guy or girl whipping up your cappuccino or frapuccino was tasked with having a meaningful exchange with you on what is perhap...
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REVIEW: Wild Tales Rages Comically With Gabrielle Pasternak, Bombita, An Angry Driver, Rat Poison, & One Crazy Bride

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 21, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)

Directed By: Damián Szifron

Starring: Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, and Darío Grandinetti

I normally am not one to review short films, but I must make an exception in the case of Damián Szifron's Wild Tales. This Argentinian anthology of shorts offers the biggest laughs I've had in a movie theater since last year's Chef. It's a rather insane series of films, but they all deliver incredible h...
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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: With the Toledo Panic Button & the Little Blind Mouse, Focus Is All Con Artists Nicky & Jess Really Need

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 28, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Focus

Directed By: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Adrian Martinez, and Gerald McRaney

Will Smith used to be the king of the box office. Between his 1996 breakout blockbuster Independence Day and his 2008 hit Hancock, Smith reigned supreme with 12 out of 14 of his films crossing the $100 million mark domestically. So what the hell happened in the last seven years to change this? Smith took a four-year hiatus from the box office and came back ...
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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: With Lougle's Nitrotrinadium, Choozy Doozy & the Webber Strut, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Makes Cyclical Time Travel to 2025 Unbearable

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 21, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Directed By: Steve Pink

Starring: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Adam Scott, and Chevy Chase

I was a fan of the original Hot Tub Time Machine some five years ago. It wasn't the greatest comedy I've had the pleasure of viewing, but it was thoroughly entertaining. You simply can't go wrong making fun of the 80s. That was the strength of the film. Fast forward five years to the present, and we've now got a time travel sequel looking to mar the original. Hot Tub...
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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: Manners Maketh Man in The Secret Service While Kingsman & Gentleman Eggsy Finds His Valentine With Oxfords, Not Brogues

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 14, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Directed By: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton, and Michael Caine

"We had to destroy the myth because [the Austin Powers movies] f*cked us. I am a huge Mike Myers fan, so don't get me wrong, but he kind of f*cked us, made it impossible to do the gags."
-Daniel Craig, MI6

If the quote above proves anything, it's that spy movies have changed tremendously over the years. The days of Sean Connery facing off with Goldfinge...
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REVIEW: In A Black or White Custody Battle in Court, Alcoholic Elliot, Grandma Wee Wee, & Crack Addict Reggie Don’t Relearn to Breathe

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 31, 2015, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Black or White

Directed By: Mike Binder

Starring: Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Jillian Estell, Bill Burr, Jennifer Ehle, Andre Holland, Gillian Jacobs, and Anthony Mackie

There are two different categories of feel good movies. There are those flicks that are saccharine and shallow as they play up one stereotype after another in the most formulaic fashion. There's a special place in movie hell for these features. It's called basic cable. Then, there are those feel good movies that are vibr...
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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: 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: Into the Woods With Some Magic Beans During A Blue Moon, Rob Marshall Grants Moviegoers a Musical Christmas Wish

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 25, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Into the Woods

Directed By: Rob Marshall

Starring: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, and Johnny Depp

Merry Christmas STMR readers! As happy as I am that the holidays have arrived, I'm pretty disappointed by the offering at the box office this week. For the most part, it's gloom and doom. Just look at this week's releases. We've got a self-hating blackjack addict throwing away tons of money in The Gambler. We've got an Olym...
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REVIEW: With Lord of The Rings, Katy Perry, & Honeypotting All Over Skylark Tonight, North Korean-Themed The Interview Pees & Poos on Itself

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 25, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Interview

Directed By: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, and Randall Park

I'm sure there are some patriots out there celebrating our recent victory over terrorists trying to keep us from watching The Interview. Well, I'm not one of them. Though I appreciate their sentiments, I'm of a different mindset. Simply put, Sony fucked up. First of all, the company opted to distribute a film that casually jokes about killing an actual head of state. Th...
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REVIEW: Annie (2014) – A Made For Television Musical With An A-List Cast

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Wednesday, December 24, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Annie
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Will Gluck

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhané Wallis, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Cameron Diaz

Annie is a classic American musical. I first saw the film in theaters as a young girl in 1982, and then starred in my high school’s production of the musical. Annie is near and dear to my heart. The songs are iconic. From “It’s The Hard-Knock Life” to “Tomorrow” to “Maybe,” the music grabs you. My fondness for the tale is why I viewed the 2014 ...
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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: With Hammy the Bear, Hot Sauce, & Fry or Die Comedy, Top Five's Andre Allen and James Nielson Put Some Stank On It

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 13, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Top Five

Directed By: Chris Rock

Starring: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union, Hayley Marie Norman, Karlie Redd, Rachel Feinstein, Kevin Hart, Sherri Shepherd, J.B. Smoove, Dan Naturman, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, and Whoopi Goldberg

Rigorous honesty is the best way to start out my review of Chris Rock's latest film. I loved it. I enjoyed the film so much that I'm going to reveal my own top five, which tells a lot about me. I'm just going on gut instincts here. My number ...
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REVIEW: With the Failures of the Shower Buddy & Pinkberry, Horrible Bosses 2 Doesn't Roar Like Katy Perry by Kidnaping Predator Rex Hanson

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 26, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Horrible Bosses 2

Directed By: Sean Anders

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Chris Pine, and Christoph Waltz

Horrible Bosses was one of the first few films I reviewed when Sobriety Test Movie Reviews made its debut on the web. Looking back at the review I wrote nearly three and a half years ago now, I simply cringe. The points I make are still valid, but the manner in which I make them is in no way consistent with my writing style...
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REVIEW: For Daughter Penny's Kidney, Dumb Harry and Dumber Lloyd Blandly Reunite at the Ken Conference

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 15, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Dumb and Dumber To

Directed By: Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Laurie Holden, and Kathleen Turner

I'm amazed at how moviegoers need to learn the same lesson over and over again year after year. Some movies should just be left alone. In most cases, there's absolutely no need for a sequel. I was never a huge fan of the original Dumb and Dumber film or the hackneyed attempts at sequels over the years. Some twenty years later, I'm still opposed to the prosp...
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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: 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: Confusing Admiration for Love, Birdman's Super Realism Is the Unexpected Virtue of Our Cinematic Ignorance

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 25, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

Birdman

Directed By: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Lindsay Duncan, and Naomi Watts

"Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige."
-Mike Shiner (Edward Norton)

Twenty five years later, it's hard to deny the influence of Tim Burton's Batman and its star Michael Keaton. Just look at the state of mainstream cinema today. As we eagerly await the latest news bytes on Doctor Strange, X-Men: Apo...
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REVIEW: As the Grumpy St. Vincent McKenna of Sheepshead Bay Says, It Is What It Is, A Good Old Fashioned Comedy-Drama

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 25, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

St. Vincent

Directed By: Theodore Melfi

Starring: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Scott Adsit, Naomi Watts, and Terrence Howard

Many folks of older generations with whom I've interacted have frequently claimed that the world has gotten worse since their heyday. Maybe I'm cold-hearted. Maybe I'm callous. In my humble opinion, the world has not gotten any better or worse. We just know more about what's happening in it. In this digital age, every violent crime, every scandalous af...
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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: With Fommy the Pirate Gamer, the Australian Outback, & Dick Van Dyke, Alexander's Birthday Is One Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Posted by James Brown on Friday, October 10, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Directed By: Miguel Arteta

Starring: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, and Kerris Dorsey

It's a three-day weekend. Granted, every weekend really should be. Working more hours on average per week than the vast majority of other nations around the globe, America is overworked. It's needless to say that I get ecstatic when I think of getting some extra time face down in my pillow on Monday morning. All that b...
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REVIEW: Few Rich Patterns Are in Hector Journaling His Search for Happiness Except His Lack of a Pen & His Old Flame in a Sock Drawer Agnes

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 27, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Hector and the Search for Happiness

Directed By: Peter Chelsom

Starring: Simon Pegg, Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike, Stellan Skarsgård, Jean Reno, and Christopher Plummer

When I reflect on what happiness means to me, I think of the moments when I'm most serene. For a guy who used to live out of a suitcase like me, the answer surprisingly lies in the skyways and wherever they take me. It's about getting unplugged from the world around me and seeing the new beautiful places this world has to offe...
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REVIEW: Despite Her Viager, My Old Lady Mathilde Teaches Her Alcoholic Buyer Mathias That There Is No Greater Wealth Than Life

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 21, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

My Old Lady

Directed By: Israel Horovitz

Starring: Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Dominique Pinon

"If you do not love me, I shall not be loved."
-Samuel Beckett

This is going to sound completely nerdy, but I'm going to put these words out on the web anyway. I love to learn at the movies. Some of my most treasured cinematic memories are those where filmmakers have expanded my boundaries, exposed me to different cultures and ways of life, and enlightened me with new perspecti...
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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: According to Starship, Nothing's Gonna Stop Depressed, Suicidal Skeleton Twins Milo & Maggie Now, Even Saying See You Later

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 14, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Skeleton Twins

Directed By: Craig Johnson

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Bill Hader, and Ty Burrell

Suicide can have long-lasting consequences that reach far beyond the individual taking his or her own life. If that person has family, friends, or other loved ones left behind in this world, there's a good chance that those persons will be scarred for life. The emotional toll of someone doing something this unnatural is extremely heavy and can last a lifetime. Just ask all those unnam...
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REVIEW: From SXSW to Bluff City, Kansas, Frank & His Band SORONPRFBS Push Chinchilla Guy Jon to His Furthest Corners

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 23, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Frank

Directed By: Lenny Abrahamson

Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, and Michael Fassbender

This isn't the first time I've said this, but 2014 has been a tame year at the movies. It's not just the fact that we've had fewer high quality movies, but we just haven't had the same level of weird inventiveness. We don't have filmmakers this year going for it all regardless of how strangely their final product may appear to moviegoers. We haven't had the next Seven Psych...
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REVIEW: With Wine, Weed, & Sex, This Movie Isn't Quite All About Alex or the Dog Named Timmy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 16, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

About Alex

Directed By: Jesse Zwick

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield, Maggie Grace, Jason Ritter, Jane Levy, Nate Parker, and Max Minghella

My fellow Millennials have been making quite a few movies about what it's like to make that full adjustment into adulthood. To some extent, the wild party movie Neighbors serves up some satirical commentary on the transition from a carefree twentysomething to married life with children. The recent romantic comedy What If humorously explores the chall...
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REVIEW: Whether a Backstreet Boys Patrolman or Brothers in Blue, I Don't Want Let's Be Cops Either Way

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 15, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Let's Be Cops

Directed By: Luke Greenfield

Starring: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans, Jr., Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D'Arcy, and Andy Garcia

Parleying success on the small screen into success on the big screen can be a daunting task. There's a big difference between holding viewers' attention for 30 or 60 minutes with commercial breaks and holding it for two hours straight. Sure, there are plenty of examples to the contrary including the likes of Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence, and Will Smith. St...
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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: When She Discovers Project Renaissance, the Foot Clan, & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, April O'Neil Swaps Mutagen for Foam & Froth

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 8, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Buck Buck)

Directed By: Jonathan Liebesman

Starring: Megan Fox, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, William Fichtner, Danny Woodburn, Will Arnett, Johnny Knoxville, Tony Shalhoub, and Whoopi Goldberg

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a staple of my childhood. Phrases like "Turtle Power!" and "Cowabunga!" are etched in my memory for all time. That's why I cringed when I learned that Michael Bay was involved in the reboot of the film series. ...
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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: Sex Tape – A Rarely Funny Infomercial For iPads And YouPorn

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, July 20, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Sex Tape

SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Jake Kasdan

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, Rob Corddry, Rob Lowe, and Ellie Kemper

Every summer, studios release comedies involving adults behaving badly in the hopes of attracting audiences looking for a little raunchy humor. From Ted to We’re The Millers to Bad Teacher, raunchy comedies have become popular summer fare. Hoping to capitalize on that trend, Sex Tape opens this weekend, and unfortunately, while somewhat salacious, it is decidedly not ...

REVIEW: Even With a Well-Funded Swear Jar, Milk & Honey Isn't the Drink I Had in Mind for Jewish Comedy-Drama Wish I Was Here

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 19, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Wish I Was Here

Directed By: Zach Braff

Starring: Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Josh Gad, Pierce Gagnon, Ashley Greene, Kate Hudson, Joey King, Jim Parsons, and Mandy Patinkin

This is one of those weekends when I need a little inspiration. With the exception of Richard Linklater's outstanding Boyhood, I'm less than impressed with what's arriving at both the mainstream and independent box offices. Like its predecessor, The Purge: Anarchy fails to deliver the thrilling punch it has the power to pac...
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REVIEW: Like Mason in Richard Linklater's Boyhood, We're All Just Winging It Through Life Without Bumpers As the Moment Seizes Us

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 19, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

Boyhood

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Starring: Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, and Ethan Hawke

I'm always in search of bold, refreshing filmmaking that pushes the bounds of what cinema can be. Rarely, do I actually find it. On this otherwise ordinary weekend at the movies, I think we've found something special, something extraordinary. The vast majority of films go into production for several months. Well, on this weekend, we have a movie that went into production fo...
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REVIEW: With Jet Skis, Pies, and Ice Cream Trucks, Topperjack's Robber Tammy & Pearl Her Alcoholic Granny Ruin the Fourth of July

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, July 3, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Tammy

Directed By: Ben Falcone

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Dan Aykroyd, and Kathy Bates

Mainstream cinema is looking pretty underwhelming on this Fourth of July weekend. It's much quieter at the movies relative to 2012 and 2013. Compared to films of years past like The Amazing Spider-Man and Despicable Me 2, we have no big budget spectacles arriving at the box office this weekend. On what's traditionally considered one of the biggest m...
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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: Instead of Zeke the Freak or the TLAM Girls' Poison, Think Like a Man Too Focuses Far Too Much on the Best Man with a Plan, Kevin Hart

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 21, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Think Like a Man Too

Directed By: Tim Story

Starring: Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence J., Romany Malco, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union, La La Anthony, and Kevin Hart

I'm sure my reviews of Grudge Match and Ride Along put me squarely in the corner of what some fans might deem the Kevin Hart Haters Club, but I'd like to offer a different perspective. The pint-sized comedian typically delivers big laughs, but in the last seven or ...
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REVIEW: For a Doctor to Launch a Petrochemical Repurposing Facility, Tickle Head Harbor Organizes the Grand Seduction of Cricket & Fishing

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, June 19, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Grand Seduction

Directed By: Don McKellar

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Brendan Gleeson, Liane Balaban, and Gordon Pinsent

My movie reviews are the product of my passion for or against a film. I know this sounds like a rather mundane, obvious statement, but it's something I see in every piece I pen on a movie. If I really love or hate a movie, I'll go to bat for it or tear it to shreds. If, however, I feel nothing for a movie one way or the other, my ensuing review accordingly lacks inspiratio...
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REVIEW: Thanks to the Pee Farter, Pregnant Standup Comic & Obvious Child Donna Stern Has an Abortion on the Worst/Best Valentine's Day Ever

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 14, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Obvious Child

Directed By: Gillian Robespierre

Starring: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffman, David Cross, Polly Draper, and Richard Kind

In the midst of Obvious Child, Gaby Hoffman has a scene-stealing moment during which she takes it to the judicial branch of government for legislating from the bench, particularly as it relates to the matters of a woman's body and abortion. While I concur with Hoffman's character, there's a larger systemic issue at play here. Judicial activism is a product ...
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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: In the War of Words and Pictures, the Love Between Honors English Teacher Jack Marcus & Honors Art Instructor Dina Delsanto Wins

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 7, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Words and Pictures

Directed By: Fred Schepisi

Starring: Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche, Amy Brenneman, and Keegan Connor Tracy

Movie critics can be so snarky and judgmental. I know I'm saying this in the strangest of places — a movie review — but sometimes my fellow critics just hate a film to hate it. As I was wrapping up my review of this weekend's Words and Pictures, I took a look at Rotten Tomatoes and saw that a film that I actually quite enjoyed sits at a lowly 40%. I saw comments ess...
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REVIEW: A Million Ways To Die In The West – Unfortunately, Laughter Is Not One Of Them

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, June 1, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

A Million Ways To Die In The West

SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Seth MacFarlane

Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sarah Silverman

This weekend, Seth MacFarlane’s western comedy, A Million Ways To Die In The West, hits theaters. The film is set in 1882. Albert (MacFarlane) is a sheep farmer down on his luck. Albert is not prosperous; he lacks courage, and he hates living in the west. Much to his dismay, his big ...

REVIEW: Blended – Sandler and Barrymore Take Their Romance From Hooters To Sun City

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, May 24, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Blended
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Frank Coraci

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Terry Crews, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Kevin Nealon

I actually enjoyed Blended much more than I expected. Before rotten tomatoes are hurled at my head, let me explain myself. Adam Sandler has been on a splendid Razzie run with cross dressing turns in Jack and Jill, the painful but commercially successful Grown Ups movies, That’s My Boy and a host of other film disasters. While his new movie Blended certa...

REVIEW: El Jefe Chef Big Dog Carl Casper Has a Twitter War With a Food Critic & Launches a Cubano Food Truck to Our Cinematic & Culinary Delight

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 18, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

Chef

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Starring: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert Downey, Jr.

Hollywood has really taken the all-or-nothing approach to heart in the last several years. Studios will drop billions on a handful of tentpoles annually and hope to reap enormous profits. Their strategy of going for special effects bonanzas that will admittedly appeal to the inner fanboy in all of us has left plenty of pot...
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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: Unplugged from Cell Phones & Comedy, Moms' Night Out Needs an Oxygen Mask Just to Be an Eagle on the Dance Cam

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 10, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Moms' Night Out

Directed By: Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin

Starring: Sarah Drew, Trace Adkins, Sean Astin, and Patricia Heaton

For me, the month of May is always a hard time of year. It's the season of giving gifts. Somebody's always graduating from somewhere. There's also a multitude of birthdays. Last but not least, Mother's Day always arrives on that second Sunday of the month. While I don't mind honoring graduates, birthday revelers, and especially moms, I must say that my wallet is assaul...
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REVIEW: With Airbags, Robert De Niro Parties, & Assjuice, the Brothers of Fraternity Delta Psi Beta Make Some Damn Good Neighbors

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 9, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Neighbors

Directed By: Nicholas Stoller

Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lisa Kudrow, and Craig Robinson

We haven't had a good raunchy mainstream comedy in quite some time. The Frat Pack is aging, and films like Anchorman 2 aren't exactly laugh factories anymore. Stuck on party films like Project X and 21 & Over, my generation isn't exactly stepping up to the plate either on a consistent basis. Sure, we can point to films like 21 Jump Street ...
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REVIEW: The Other Woman – The Wife, The Lawyer, And The Boobs Team Up Against A Lannister

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, April 27, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Other Woman
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Don Johnson, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Kinney

I desperately wanted to endorse The Other Woman. Not only because I’m a huge fan of Leslie Mann’s work, but I also listened to Mann and Cameron Diaz plugging the new film on EW Radio. During the interview, they referenced the 1980’s classic film 9 to 5, and seemed to hint that The Other Woman delivered some of the sa...

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: Spoofing The Conjuring & Insidious: Chapter 2, A Haunted House 2 Pathetically Sexes Abigail the Doll & Satirizes Demon Agouhl

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 19, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

A Haunted House 2

Directed By: Michael Tiddes

Starring: Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly, Essence Atkins, Gabriel Iglesias, and Cedric the Entertainer

I've been loathing this weekend on my review calendar for quite some time, for quite some time. I knew that the completely unwarranted follow-up to Marlon Wayans's A Haunted House would be arriving in theaters on this weekend. I knew that a horrendous, trashy film was on my docket. I knew that I'd be a simultaneously embarrassed and pissed off movi...
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REVIEW: Unlucky S.O.B. Dom Hemingway, a Man With No Options, Suddenly Has All the Options in the World When the Pendulum of Luck Swings His Way

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 13, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Dom Hemingway

Directed By: Richard Shepard

Starring: Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Demián Bichir, Emilia Clarke, Kerry Condon, Jumayn Hunter, and Mãdãlina Diana Ghenea

"Oh. I'll tell you who I am. I'm the f*cker who'll tear your nose off with my teeth. I'm the f*cker who will gut you with a dull cheese knife and sing Gilbert and Sullivan while I do it. I'm the f*cker who'll dump your dead body in a freezing cold lake and watch you sink to the bottom like so much shit. I am that f*cker. Th...
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REVIEW: Rio 2 – A Music-Filled Blue Macaw Romp In The Amazon That Falls Short

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, April 12, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Rio 2
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, Jermaine Clement, George Lopez, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Rita Moreno, Tracy Morgan, and Andy Garcia

Computer animated films are a dime a dozen at this point. In the “olden” days, one or two animated films would be released in a given year. However, studios have seized on the economic potential of family friendly animated films and are rolling out computer animated films with in...

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: 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: The Single Moms Club – Five Moms, Five OK Stories

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, March 15, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Single Moms Club
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Tyler Perry

Starring: Nia Long, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Cocoa Brown, Amy Smart, and Zulay Henao

Fresh off of his Razzies’ win for A Madea Christmas, Tyler Perry is back in theaters this month with his new film, The Single Moms Club. Say what you will, but Perry knows his audience and he sticks with his standard themes in this new film. The Single Moms Club involves a fair amount of sisterhood and female empowerment, as well as some serious male b...

REVIEW: For the Painting Boy With Apple, Grand Budapest Hotel Concierge M. Gustave & Lobby Boy Zero Find Glimmers of Humanity at Checkpoint 19

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 15, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Directed By: Wes Anderson

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Léa Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, and Tony Revolori

Wes Anderson is back! Indie film lovers everywhere will have some good laughs this weekend. In his follow-up to his mega hit Moonrise Kingdom, the acclaimed director has assembled o...
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REVIEW: With the Empty Lunchbox, the Wrong Train Gets Saajan & Ila to the Right Station — Bhutan

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 9, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Lunchbox (Dabba)

Directed By: Ritesh Batra

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui

"Sometimes the wrong train will get you to the right station."
-Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui)

2014 marks another year in which the Academy got it wrong, particularly for Best Foreign Language Film. Sure, The Great Beauty rightfully was nominated and won the award. The problem is that it didn't face off with the other great foreign language films of the year like The Past and Blue Is the Warm...
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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: To Protect the Bruges Madonna and Child & Prevent the Führer Museum, The Monuments Men Undertake One Boring Assignment

Posted by James Brown on Friday, February 7, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Monuments Men

Directed By: George Clooney

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett

Unless you're Martin Scorsese and getting geared up to release the next The Wolf of Wall Street, getting your movie's release date pushed back within just months of its arrival in theaters is an ominous sign. Not that it ever really had a chance at greatness, but I'm sure you all remember last year's G.I. Joe: Retaliation....
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REVIEW: Best Man Down – Lumpy’s Secret Life Is Uncovered In This Comedy Drama

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, January 26, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Best Man Down
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Ted Koland

Starring: Justin Long, Jess Weixler, Tyler Labine, Addison Timlin, Shelley Long, and Frances O’Connor

Happy belated New Year movie lovers! I am delighted to return to the movie review scene after a brief holiday hiatus. My first review of 2014 is Justin Long’s indie flick Best Man Down. Although billed as a dark comedy, this uneven film is at times touching, but never humorous.

Scott (Long) and Kristin (Jess Weixler) are having the time o...
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REVIEW: That Awkward Moment "The So" Is Exactly What These Boys Need to Fill Their Rosters, Plus Some Ice Cream & A 40 Oz. Malt Liquor

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 24, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

That Awkward Moment

Directed By: Tom Gormican

Starring: Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, and Jessica Lucas

Many, including myself, have said in recent years that the romantic comedy is dead. I have to retract my statement. I'm more likely today to argue that it's an endangered species. The sappy, formulaic rom com is indeed dead. However, fresh takes on the genre do pop into movie theaters every now and then. For 2013, that fresh take was Enough Sai...
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REVIEW: In a Ride Along Full of 126s, Black Hammer Kevin Hart Shows & Proves That He's Unfortunately Unlocked the Platinum Level

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 18, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Ride Along

Directed By: Tim Story

Starring: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill, Bryan Callen, Tika Sumpter, and Laurence Fishburne

Kevin Hart seems to be everywhere. He was in This Is the End and Grudge Match last year. He's done several stand-up comedy tours all over the country over the last several years. He's got two big romantic comedies this year with About Last Night and his follow-up to Think Like a Man. Strangely enough, he's even been on ESPN lately. All of this po...
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REVIEW: Despite Mouth Cancer, "Lay Down Sally" and Truth-Telling Are Drug Addict Violet Weston's Specialties in August: Osage County

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 11, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

August: Osage County

Directed By: John Wells

Starring: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Sam Shepard, and Misty Upham

Earlier this week, Emma Thompson was named Best Actress at the National Board of Review awards dinner in New York. The Saving Mr. Banks star was honored by fellow actress Meryl Streep. Unlike blander ceremonies such as the Golden Globes and the O...
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REVIEW: The Grudgement Day Match Between Razor Sharp & Billy "The Kid" McDonnen Has a Few Too Many Butterscotch Jellybeans 30 Years Too Late

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Grudge Match

Directed By: Peter Segal

Starring: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Alan Arkin, Kevin Hart, Jon Bernthal, LL Cool J, and Kim Basinger

The AARP is getting into the holiday movie season! They're giving us a pairing of the Raging Bull and Rocky as the 70 year-old Robert De Niro and the 67 year-old Sylvester Stallone square off on the big screen. Ten to fifteen years ago, this might have been a halfway good idea. As it stands, Grudge Match is set to be Grumpy Old Men on crack. It...
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REVIEW: Wolf of Wall Street & Lude Addict Jordan Belfort Rises in a Straight Line from Pond Scum to One Rich Oompa Loompa Selling Pens at Stratton Oakmont

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 26, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

The Wolf of Wall Street

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Jean Dujardin, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie, Jon Favreau, Kyle Chandler, Cristin Milioti, and Rob Reiner

I've always believed that the Academy is too stuffy for its own good. Mostly comprised of old white men, it doesn't exactly embrace the cutting edge films of the day. You can look to Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender getting ignored for their great work in Shame two years ago. You can loo...
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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: In Anchorman 2, The Legend of Ron Burgundy Sadly Continues With the Global News Network (GNN), Infotainment & Jack Lame

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 21, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Directed By: Adam McKay

Starring: Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Meagan Good, Dylan Baker, Greg Kinnear, and Josh Lawson

I wasn't a huge fan of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the film to be pretty damn funny. With this in mind, I haven't been overly excited for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Sure, we all do...
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REVIEW: Saying No to Pears, Animation, & Everything Else, Mary Poppins' Family P.L. Travers is Perfectly Capable of Saving Mr. Banks

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 21, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

Saving Mr. Banks

Directed By: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Rachel Griffiths, Ruth Wilson, and Colin Farrell

"Winds in the east, mist coming in.
Like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin.
Can't put me finger on what lies in store.
But I fear what's to happen all happened before."
-Travers Goff (Colin Farrell)

It would be an understatement to say that our generation of moviegoers is a jaded, cynical one. Anything that is che...
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REVIEW: Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas – Time For Madea To Retire

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, December 15, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

A Madea Christmas
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Tyler Perry

Starring: Tyler Perry, Anna Maria Horsford, Larry The Cable Guy, Chad Michael Murphy, Tika Sumpter, Eric Lively, Alicia Witt, Lisa Whelchel, Kathy Najimy, and JR Lemon

Enough is enough. Tyler Perry’s popular cross-dressing grandma Madea has been through too much. She has had a reunion, weddings, been to jail and has even been involved with the witness protection program. Now, in Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas, she is involved wi...

REVIEW: In the Rotten & Delicious American Hustle, Irving Rosenfeld Survives Ice Fishing in Atlantic City With the FBI Thanks to Sydney's London Banking Connections

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 12, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

American Hustle

Directed By: David O. Russell

Starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Michael Peña, and Robert De Niro

Director David O. Russell has a way of making authentically American films that's undeniable. Just look at his two most recent films, The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. What could be more American than boxing or the Philadelphia Eagles? Russell's answer to that was apparently getting over on people. In his lat...
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REVIEW: Seeing The Great Beauty of Roma as a Vanishing Trick, Jep Gambardello, King of the High Life, Does Know Why He Never Wrote Another Novel

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 8, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)

Directed By: Paolo Sorrentino

Starring: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, and Pamela Villoresi

It's been a week to remember. On Wednesday, President Obama gave a potent speech advocating for the poor that might just indicate the direction for the rest of his second term. On Thursday, we lost a giant of the twentieth century in former South African President Nelson Mandela, a fierce opponent of not just against apa...
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REVIEW: For a New Truck & Compressor, Woody Grant Endures the Circling Vultures in Hawthorne on His Way to Lincoln, Nebraska for His Million Dollars

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 1, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Nebraska

Directed By: Alexander Payne

Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, and Bob Odenkirk

Bruce Dern was not a lock for the role of Woody Grant in Nebraska. Director Alexander Payne sought out several other talents prior to casting Dern in the role. He reportedly went after his About Schmidt star Jack Nicholson. Rumor has it that the notoriously picky screen legend turned him down. Payne also sought out actor Gene Hackman. The retired star called it a wrap after Wel...
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REVIEW: In Philomena, the Evil Nuns at Roscrea Abbey Ease Martin Sixsmith's Choice Between Russian History & Human Interest Stories

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, November 27, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Philomena

Directed By: Stephen Frears

Starring: Judi Dench and Steve Coogan

At the start of the Thanksgiving weekend, the last thing I thought I needed was a movie about some old lady trying to find her long-lost son. Even with Dame Judi Dench, Philomena sounded like a made-for-television movie you'd find on Lifetime or the Hallmark channel in the wee hours of the night. Nonetheless, I've now seen it, and I must admit that I was quite wrong. Stephen Frears's Philomena packs a surprising punch...
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REVIEW: Guardian Angel David Wozniak and His 533 Children Fail to Make the Delivery Man Any Different From Starbuck

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 23, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Delivery Man

Directed By: Ken Scott

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, and Cobie Smulders

Remakes are part of the film industry's DNA, but directors remaking their own original works is something entirely different. That's what's happening with this weekend's comedy vehicle Delivery Man starring Vince Vaughn in which director Ken Scott is remaking his own Canadian comedy Starbuck. It's a bold move to say the least. The directors I can notably recall who decided to reimagine their own works ...
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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: In Free Birds, the Pardoned Great Turkey Would Seriously Like Us to Eat Pizza for Thanksgiving

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 2, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Free Birds

Directed By: Jimmy Hayward

Starring: Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Amy Poehler

It's the holiday movie season, which means we're going to get some great blockbusters, the next batch of awards contenders, and some horrible seasonally-themed family flicks. This weekend, we're getting a little bit of everything. We've possibly got the next big sci-fi series with Ender's Game. We've got the steamy film that took top honors at Cannes earlier this year, Blue is the Warmest Color. We'...
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REVIEW: For the Flatbush Four in Last Vegas, No One Calls Them Names, Like a Movie That Sucks, Except Us

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 2, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Last Vegas

Directed By: Jon Turteltaub

Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman

Hollywood has a tendency to milk every drop out of whatever idea that’s become their latest cash cow. Take The Hangover's wild bachelor party concept for instance. Because of Hollywood's insistence on sacrificing originality for profitability, I have a love-hate relationship with the Wolf Pack. I love the original Hangover movie and hate parts 2 and 3. With this in mind, it sho...
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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: 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: Baggage Claim – An Incredibly Predictable Rom Com, But You Can’t Totally Hate A Movie That Includes A New Edition Dance Routine

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, September 29, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Baggage Claim
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: David E. Talbert

Starring: Paula Patton, Adam Brody, Djimon Hounsou, Taye Diggs, Christina Milian, Derek Luke, Boris Kodjoe, Trey Songz, and Jill Scott

I am well aware that Baggage Claim currently is certified rotten by other critics. After seeing the film’s underwhelming trailer, I was fully prepared to join that chorus of boos. Much to my surprise, although the film is obvious and predictable, Baggage Claim does have some charm.

Montana Moore (Paul...
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REVIEW: Masseuse Eva Hears More Than Enough Said about Her Flabby Boyfriend Albert from Human TripAdvisor and Poet Marianne

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 28, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

Enough Said

Directed By: Nicole Holofcener

Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Ben Falcone, and Toby Huss

We've lost many iconic figures in Hollywood this year. We've said goodbye to the likes of Roger Ebert, Jean Stapleton, and even Cory Monteith. Though celebrity deaths generally don't take an emotional toll on me. I do have to say that I was troubled by James Gandolfini's passing earlier this year. The beloved actor made his mark on the world ...
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REVIEW: Don Jon Loses Himself in the Hilarious Moment When Deciding Between One-Sided Internet Porn & Real Sex with Barbara Sugarman

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 28, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Don Jon

Directed By: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Rob Brown, Glenn Headly, and Brie Larson

Over the last couple of decades, the Internet has revolutionized the way we do things. It's changed the way we communicate, the way we shop, and even the way that some of us satisfy ourselves. Yes, the Internet has made porn more widely available and has helped meet many men's needs when the women in their lives apparently aren't doi...
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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 Normandy, France, The Blake Family Adds a Bad Chapter to Writer-Mobster Giovanni Manzoni's Memoirs

Posted by James Brown on Friday, September 13, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Family

Directed By: Luc Besson

Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, John D'Leo, and Domenick Lombardozzi

Several weeks ago, screen legend Robert De Niro turned 70 years old. With a filmography spanning five decades ranging from Mean Streets to Silver Linings Playbook, it suffices to say that the Raging Bull has had an illustrious career on the big screen and stands as one of the greatest performers of all time. That being said, I have to tell you that...
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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: The World’s End – The King And His Pals Tackle The Glorious Golden Mile Pub Crawl In This Ridiculously Fun Sci-Fi Comedy

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, August 25, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The World's End
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, and Pierce Brosnan

The World’s End is upon us, and I could not be more delighted. As a huge fan of 2004’s Shaun of the Dead and 2007’s Hot Fuzz, I was incredibly excited when I discovered that Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright had teamed together once again for a final film in their Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. The films are not connected...
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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: In a World Without the Legendary Don LaFontaine...Let the Amazon Games Begin Because a Voice is a Choice

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 18, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

In a World...

Directed By: Lake Bell

Starring: Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Nick Offerman, and Tig Notaro

As one who frequents the movies on a regular basis, I'm one who's seen one too many trailers. For each movie I go see, there are fifteen to twenty minutes worth of leading advertisements for other films. If they're good trailers, I'm typically fine. If they're bad, however, they're just an annoying pit stop on the way to my movie. As...
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REVIEW: In Kick-Ass 2, Colonel Stars and Stripes' Justice Forever Fails to Deliver Against The Motherfcker's Toxic-Mega Cnts

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 17, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Kick-Ass 2

Directed By: Jeff Wadlow

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jim Carrey, and Morris Chestnut

Many good movies don't need sequels. The Wolfpack never needed to hit the Strip (or any other place of debauchery for that matter) after their wild outing in The Hangover. Badass spy Bryan Mills had no need to go beat the hell out of Albanian baddies after the brutal hunt for his daughter throughout Paris in Taken. Cindy and Brenda certainly didn't...
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REVIEW: In The Spectacular Now, Paper Girl Aimee Finecky Gets Alcoholic Sutter Keely to Write One Hell of a Personal Statement On Hardship

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 10, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

The Spectacular Now

Directed By: James Ponsoldt

Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Kyle Chandler

The summer of coming-of-age movies is coming to a close. Before we say adios, I'd just like to say that it's been a fun ride. With films like Mud, The Kings of Summer, and The Way, Way Back, we simply haven't gone wrong. The closer for this summer is James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now, a daring comedy-drama that puts a new me...
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REVIEW: Counting to Three & Chasing TLC's Waterfalls, The Millers Bring a Smidge and a Half of Pablo Chacon's Marijuana But No Comedy

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, August 7, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

We're the Millers

Directed By: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms, and Nick Offerman

The universe has a strange way of telling us the most mundane things sometimes. For me, it comes in the form of Nick at Nite. When I was growing up, shows like I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and The Brady Bunch were on Nickelodeon in the wee hours of the night. As time went on, Nick moved to somewhat younger shows including The Jeffersons, ...
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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: Popping Xanax Pills and Talking to Herself, Blue Jasmine Can't Get Past Her Past With Hal and That Fateful Song Blue Moon

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 3, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Blue Jasmine

Directed By: Woody Allen

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard, and Michael Stuhlbarg

"Anxiety, nightmares, and a nervous breakdown. There's only so many traumas a person can take ‘til they take to the streets and start screaming."
-Jasmine (Cate Blanchett)

It's that time of the year again. Woody Allen has another film out. However, that shouldn't come as a shock since the beloved director has been pu...
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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: In The To Do List, Newbie Brandy Clark Does the Back Door But Not for Lifeguard Rusty Waters

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 27, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The To Do List

Directed By: Maggie Carey

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Scott Porter, Alia Shawkat, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, and Clark Gregg

When I first heard of The To Do List, I was pretty skeptical. After all, the 29 year-old Aubrey Plaza isn't the youngest actress in the world, and her time to portray 17 year-old teenage girls has mostly passed. Before you shoot the messenger for daring to talk about a woman's age, I'm not...
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REVIEW: Back in Exolife in Ocean City, Playwright Imogene Duncan is the Girl Most Likely to Kill George Bousche But Not Backstreet Boys Fan Lee

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 20, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Girl Most Likely

Directed By: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening, Matt Dillon, Christopher Fitzgerald, and Darren Criss

It's been a little more than two years since Bridesmaids took the box office by storm. By now, I would've imagined that Kristen Wiig would have had a long, long list of comedies to which she were attached as the lead. As fate would have it, Wiig is finding greater success in animated films and television programming. She's Lucy in...
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REVIEW: Hairy Crystal Fairy & Pollo & the Magical San Pedro Cactus & the World's End in 2012 on the Mayan Calendar & One Crazy Movie

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, July 18, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus and 2012

Directed By: Sebastián Silva

Starring: Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffmann, Juan Andrés Silva, José Miguel Silva, and Agustín Silva

With all that's going on in America these days, it might be time for a little vacation. Regardless of your perspective on the array of events and issues of the day, I'm sure you can agree that it might be time to get some distance, perhaps in the form of international travel. While we all can't just hop on a plane and leave ...

REVIEW: Cop Shaquille O'Neal, Frat Boy Taylor Lautner, and Bully Stone Cold Can't Save the 80s Burpsnart-Filled Disaster Called Grown Ups 2

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 12, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Grown Ups 2

Directed By: Dennis Dugan

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello, and Nick Swardson

The Burpsnart. What in the blue hell has gone wrong with the 2013 summer movie season, and why has this idiotic concept creeped its way into what some deem entertainment? Let me explain. The Burpsnart is a three part act during which a middle-aged loser proceeds to burp, sneeze, and fart in very rapid succession. It was invented by Kevi...
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REVIEW: With a Psychic, an Actor, a Dominatrix, and Three Gay Male Flight Attendants, I'm Not So Excited for Peninsula Flight 2549

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 6, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

I'm So Excited

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar

Starring: Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, Raúl Arévalo, Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva, and Guillermo Toledo

After Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In a couple of years ago, I swore I'd never watch one of his movies again. It was too much for me. It was just too much. Two years later, here I am again with I'm So Excited, Almodóvar's latest comedy. Unfortunately for me, his twisted, often perverted sense of humor is...
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REVIEW: In The Way, Way Back, Pop-N-Lock Duncan Leaves the Riptide Beach House and Hits the Slides at Water Wizz

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 5, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

The Way, Way Back

Directed By: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash

Starring: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Bobb, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, and Liam James

2013 marks the summer of coming-of-age comedies at the indie box office. The proof is in the pudding. This past June, Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio jammed on some logs in the woods in The Kings of Summer. This month, Duncan is breaking it down on a cardboard dance floor at Water Wizz in The Way, Way Back....
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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: For White House Down, the Pen is Not Quite Mightier Than the Sword Despite Being a Die Hard Knockoff With Political Overtones

Posted by James Brown on Friday, June 28, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

White House Down

Directed By: Roland Emmerich

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, James Woods, Garcelle Beauvais, Lance Reddick, Joey King, Rachelle LeFevre, and Michael Murphy

It's been one hell of a week. The very foundations of American democracy have been rocked by an outright malicious Supreme Court. Our Congressmen continue to extend their record streak of sitting on their asses doing nothing. We’re ultimately left to suffer from all...
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REVIEW: Joss Whedon's Foray Into Shakespeare With Much Ado About Nothing Does Prove That Man is a Giddy Thing

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 22, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

Much Ado About Nothing

Directed By: Joss Whedon

Starring: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Sean Maher, Spencer Treat Clark, Riki Lindhome, Jillian Morgese, and Ashley Johnson

I can't believe I'm saying this, but what do Shakespeare and The Avengers have in common? The beloved Joss Whedon. In his first directorial effort after his mega blockbuster with Marvel, Whedon takes a break from adapting comics to the big screen and focuses on a smaller pr...
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REVIEW: This Is The End – Jay and Seth Versus The Apocalypse At James Franco’s House

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Friday, June 14, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

This Is The End
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen

Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Channing Tatum, and Paul Rudd

Ridiculous. Campy. Over the top. Self-deprecating. These are all apt descriptions of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s new comedy This is the End. But most of all, This is the End is pure fun. Based on the 2007 short film Jay and Seth Versus the...

REVIEW: The Kings Of Summer – Joe, Patrick And Biaggio Brave The Forest And Boston Market In This Endearing Coming Of Age Story

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 8, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Kings Of Summer
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Starring: Nick Offerman, Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Megan Mullally, and Alison Brie

When I saw the trailer for The Kings of Summer, I was sold. Not because I was excited about another suburban coming of age story, but because Nick Offerman is in the film. I love Offerman as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation and I even enjoy when he reads tweets from young female celebrities on Conan. With his dry delive...

REVIEW: Before Midnight, Take a Time Machine Back to Six Lovely Weeks in the Peloponnesian Islands

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 2, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Before Midnight

Directed By: Richard Linklater

Starring: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

Unlike Hollywood movies, it's very rare that an indie film gets a sequel. With the exception of some sick horror films, this just doesn't happen too often. You won't see Midnight in Paris Deux, 1000 Days of Summer, or Moonrise Kingdom 2. Even when they generate big profits, they're not coming back to theaters again. The exception to this rule is the Before series from Richard Linklater. First, there was Bef...
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REVIEW: Stuck in a Blender But Now Saving Lives, Billy and Nick Get Us Psyched for One Hilarious Google Internship and a Vicious Quidditch Match

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 2, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Internship

Directed By: Shawn Levy

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, Max Minghella, JoAnna Garcia, John Goodman, Josh Brener, Tobit Raphael, Dylan O'Brien, Tiya Sircar, Aasif Mandvi, and Will Ferrell

If The Hangover Part III proved anything, it proved that it's time for the Wolfpack to step aside. With this in mind, I have some good news. The Frat Pack is back! Later this year, Vince Vaughn will be starring in The Delivery Man, an English language remake of the Canadian com...
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REVIEW: Ahoy Sexy! Frances Ha is Definitely Undateable With All Her Wild Antics That Aren't Really Antics

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 25, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Frances Ha

Directed By: Noah Baumbach

Starring: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, and Grace Gummer

Greta Gerwig has had a long, hard road to success on the big screen. Frances Ha doesn't mark her first leading role. We've seen her lead the pack for somewhat underwhelming films like Damsels in Distress and Lola Versus. She hasn't had that breakout role yet, that performance that leaves an indelible mark on movie-goers. Frances Ha might just be that role. We'll just have to wait and s...
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REVIEW: The Hangover Part III – Leslie Chow Leads The Wolfpack Through Tijuana and Vegas, But The Party Is Clearly Over

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Friday, May 24, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

The Hangover Part III
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Justin Bartha, and John Goodman

Comedies very rarely have successful sequels, let alone a trilogy. As I watched The Hangover Part III, all I could think was that the creators should have stopped after the original Hangover movie. Why did they have to taint my memories of Stu, Phil and Alan? Oh right—because the franchise is worth ...

REVIEW: With Peanuts, Chocolate Kennedys, & Moby Dick Day, Tyler Perry Presents Some Strange Peeples

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, May 12, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Tyler Perry Presents Peeples

Directed By: Tina Gordon Chism

Starring: Kerry Washington, Craig Robinson, David Alan Grier, Diahann Carroll, Tyler James Williams, and Kali Hawk

Tyler Perry Presents Peeples is the most ostentatious title for a movie I've ever heard in my entire life. I understand that producer Tyler Perry wants to associate his name and his brand with the film to fill theaters around the country. He's trying to make some money. I completely get that. However, that doesn't mean ...
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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: 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: For the Love of the Mets and Graffiti, Gimme the Loot is All About Malcolm and Sophia Bombing the Apple at Shea Stadium

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 27, 2013, In : 0.00% Water

Gimme the Loot

Directed By: Adam Leon

Starring: Ty Hickson, Tashiana Washington, Zoë Lescaze, Meeko, Sam Soghor, and Joshua Rivera

The New York Mets have an interesting tradition for celebrating home runs. Whenever a player knocks the ball straight out of the park during a home game, a giant apple rises out of Shea Stadium with the Mets' logo front and center. The apple rising is a pivotal moment in any Mets game and presents an interesting opportunity to claim some fame for those who are bol...
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REVIEW: The Big Wedding: Dirty Talk, Catholicism, Sex And Scandal For The AARP Crowd

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, April 27, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Big Wedding
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Justin Zackham

Starring: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace, Katherine Heigl, and Robin Williams

Color me disappointed. When I go into a film with Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams and Diane Keaton, I have certain expectations. Add in Topher Grace, and I automatically expect wit and character. But I should have known that the Katherine Heigl romantic comedy curse would continue. I cannot thi...

REVIEW: Sun Gym Bodybuilder Danny Lugo is a Doer Trying to Gain the American Dream, But Teaming with El Dad & Torturing Pepe Only Bring Pain

Posted by James Brown on Friday, April 26, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Pain & Gain

Directed By: Michael Bay

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Rebel Wilson, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Nicole Lee, Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau, and Bar Paly

We've been seeing quite a bit of The Rock lately. Unfortunately, he's had more misses than hits. He starred in the less than memorable Snitch back in February. He was then the lead in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which was just a decent action flick by any standard. From what I've hea...
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REVIEW: With Vacuum Cleaners Partying, Erica Ash Ghettoizing Black Swan, and Morgan Freeman Narrating, Scary Movie 5 is Just Plain Weird

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 13, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Scary Movie 5

Directed By: Malcolm D. Lee

Starring: Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex, Erica Ash, Molly Shannon, Heather Locklear, J.P. Manoux, Jerry O'Connell, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, and Morgan Freeman

How many times have you gone to an R-rated film and been appalled to see parents bringing their kids to the theater? I've honestly lost count at this point. Whether it be some violent, bloody horror flick or the latest rude and crude comedy, we've all sadly been there. It's needless to say that...
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REVIEW: Luciano Holds onto His Big Brother Dreams Too Long, Which is a Sad Reality for Moviegoers

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 7, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Reality

Directed By: Matteo Garrone

Starring: Aniello Arena, Loredana Simioli, Claudia Gerini, Paola Minaccioni, Ciro Petrone, Nunzia Schiano, Nando Paone, Arturo Gambardella, and Angelica Borghese

I was never big on reality TV. Sure, I watched the first few seasons of American Idol and the first season of Survivor back in the day. After that brief foray into it, I went right on back to scripted programs. That's what I knew and that's what I loved. I've never watched any of the popular serie...
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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 The Sapphires, Bridesmaids' Chris O'Dowd and the Songbirds Take Some Aboriginal Soul on the Road to Vietnam

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 30, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Sapphires

Directed By: Wayne Blair

Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell

The music of today is some real crap. We all know it. We all hear it. Some of us even do something about it. Personally, I've found that I spend very little time listening to Top 40 radio anymore. It genuinely sucks. What passes for music today is truly a sin and a shame. Consequently, I stay in the past and tend to go for the oldies. I listen to the likes of...
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REVIEW: Thanks to Boring Old Portia, the Secret to Getting Into Princeton-Based Comedy Admission is That You Just Can't

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 23, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Admission

Directed By: Paul Weitz

Starring: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Michael Sheen, Lily Tomlin, Wallace Shawn, Nat Wolff, and Gloria Reuben

From the day I heard about it, I was destined to see Tina Fey's latest comedy Admission, a film shot at my alma mater Princeton University. It's a movie that satirizes the university's admissions process in which a random few get highly coveted acceptance letters. Director Paul Weitz clearly has a bull’s-eye fixed on the orange bubble and other Ivy League i...
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REVIEW: The Brain Rapist, Rance Holloway, and the Astonishing Jane Can't Save the Magical Friendship of Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 16, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Directed By: Don Scardino

Starring: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini, and Jim Carrey

American culture today is bereft of any real values or meaningful qualities. Sadly, this is the product of my generation, the Millennials. The plague of reality television and an ever-growing, ever-popular online library of senseless YouTube videos are symptomatic of these problems. I'm not going to go on a full rant about everything that'...
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REVIEW: In 21 & Over, Jeff Chang and His Boys Have Anything But an Awesome Night With an Indian Chief and Some Latina Sorority Sisters

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 2, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

21 & Over

Directed By: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore

Starring: Justin Chon, Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Francois Chau, and Sarah Wright

The first weekend in March seems to be the party movie weekend. Exactly one year ago, we had Thomas Mann and Oliver Cooper trying to live like legends in Project X. We all saw what happened with that movie, nothing but pointless juvenile antics. With that in mind, Hollywood has decided to fast forward a few years and tackle the big 2-1, the last frontier before r...
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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: What is Movie 43? A Series of Ridiculous Shorts About the iBabe, Leprechauns, and a Cat Named Beezel

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 26, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Movie 43

Directed By: Peter Farrelly, Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, James Duffy, Griffin Dunne, Patrik Forsberg, James Gunn, Bob Odenkirk, Brett Ratner, and Jonathan van Tulleken

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gerard Butler, Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell, Naomi Watts, Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Common, Kate Winslet, Anna Faris, Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Josh Duhamel, Leslie ...

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: Paranormal Activity Spoof A Haunted House Keeps Its Eye on Sex, Not Comedy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 12, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

A Haunted House

Directed By: Michael Tiddes

Starring: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Cedric the Entertainer, Nick Swardson, David Koechner, and Dave Sheridan

Horror movies are bad enough on their own these days. There's absolutely no need to make matters worse by making spoofs of these often horrible flicks. It's absolutely pointless. The only evidence I need to justify my position is that there is a Scary Movie 5 coming this year. Nothing more needs to be said to make my case. However,...

REVIEW: If Parental Guidance is the Voice of Fartie Decker, Billy Crystal Needs to Use Some New Words

Posted by James Brown on Wednesday, December 26, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Parental Guidance

Directed By: Andy Fickman

Starring: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, and Tom Everett Scott

It's the end of the holiday movie season, and I definitely have to say that we've been on a wild ride. We've seen manly hobbits, a mutilated bisexual Bond villain, balladeer Russell Crowe, and much more. This winter has certainly had its ups and downs, but it has been a good one overall. While I would like to close the holiday season on a high note, my hands are tied. I ...

REVIEW: With Scieoclean, Deleted Messages, and Peanut M&M's, The Guilt Trip Doesn't Make a Great Sales Pitch

Posted by James Brown on Friday, December 21, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Guilt Trip

Directed By: Anne Fletcher

Starring: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Scott, Colin Hanks, Danny Pudi, Kathy Najimy, and Casey Rose Wilson

You've got to really be comfortable with somebody to go on a road trip with them. You're stuck with him or her for days without end in a tight space. Once you're in the car, there's no escape. I've had good road trips, and I've had some rough ones. I speak from experience when I say that you will get to know all a pe...

REVIEW: The Details is a Disastrous Series of Bad Dreams About Raccoons

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 20, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

The Details

Directed By: Jacob Aaron Estes

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Kerry Washington, Ray Liotta, Laura Linney, and Dennis Haysbert

I'm rarely at a loss for words when it comes to churning out a movie review. For Jacob Aaron Estes's The Details, I find myself in this fairly unfamiliar position. This movie is just so strange and uninteresting that I don't quite know where to begin writing. However, I do know that this indie comedy-drama is not something you should find yoursel...
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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: With Hot Dogs, Mistresses, and 1812 Cartoons, Hyde Park on Hudson Takes a Swing at History and Misses

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 15, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Hyde Park on Hudson

Directed By: Roger Michell

Starring: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Samuel West, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Marvel, Olivia Williams, Elizabeth Wilson, Martin McDougall, and Andrew Havill

Hollywood has made one too many movies with the Great Depression and World War II as the historical backdrop. Just look to movies like The Way Back, The Debt, and Red Tails for examples over the last couple of years alone. It's time to make movies about some other era. More specifically, we ...

REVIEW: Despite the Trash Bag for Attire, Mr. Excelsior Runs with Greatness in Silver Linings Playbook

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 18, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Silver Linings Playbook

Directed By: David O. Russell

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, Julia Stiles, and Chris Tucker

"You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining."
-Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper)

Two years ago, director David O. Russell rocked my world with The Fighter. In my opinion, it may be the best boxing movie in the last three decades. When I hear...

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: What Sex is This Carrot Cheyenne? This Must Be the Place Doesn't Even Know

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 11, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

This Must Be the Place

Directed By: Paolo Sorrentino

Starring: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, Eve Hewson, Kerry Condon, and Harry Dean Stanton

"Something's not quite right here. I don't know what, but something."
-Cheyenne (Sean Penn)

That quote perfectly captures my mindset after seeing the trailer for Paolo Sorrentino's This Must Be the Place. I doubt anyone is genuinely interested in watching a road trip movie on some middle-aged rocker in retirement. Who really wants to se...

REVIEW: Despite Spidey, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and One Mean Kitty Fun Size Is Just Not Worth Fighting For

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 28, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Fun Size

Directed By: Josh Schwartz

Starring: Victoria Justice, Jane Levy, Thomas McDonnell, Chelsea Handler, Thomas Mann, Osric Chau, and Jackson Nicoll

More often than not, Halloween means bad horror movies for Hollywood. Every once in a while though, we get a Halloween comedy, and I do mean every once in a while. Until this weekend, it had been 17 years since the last comedy themed around the nightmarish holiday. With this in mind, this weekend's Fun Size may just be the only Halloween...

REVIEW: A Sex Surrogate. A Wild Priest. An Iron Lung. The Sessions Will Touch You with Its Kinky Words

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, October 18, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Sessions

Directed By: Ben Lewin

Starring: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, and William H. Macy

Sometimes, I wonder what makes a screenwriter tick. I wonder how they come up with some of the crazy stuff they put in screenplays. With all I've seen in recent months (e.g., For a Good Time, Call..., Cosmopolis, The Paperboy, etc.), I've really been pondering this lately. Every once in a while, it's sheer creativity. More often than not though, they simply got the idea from somebody else. In the ...

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 ...

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...

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: 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...

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...

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: For the Love of Ludo, Little White Lies Reveals His Real Friends and the Weasels

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, September 16, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Little White Lies

Directed By: Guillaume Canet

Starring: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lafitte, Valérie Bonetton, and Pascale Arbillot

Lies almost always catch up with you, especially the small ones. The worst lies are those that you tell yourself. You can't evade the truth forever. Sometimes it just comes crashing down on you, and you're absolutely helpless when it does. This is definitely the case for a group of longtime friends ...
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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: With Memory Problems, Gardening, and Theft, Robot & Frank Showcases How Old People are Sharper Than You Think

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 25, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Robot & Frank

Directed By: Jake Schreier

Starring: Frank Langella, Peter Sarsgaard, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, and Susan Sarandon

Indie cinema is all about the future this weekend. With David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis and Jake Schreier's Robot & Frank, we've got two different movies at the indie box office that look ahead to what’s next for mankind. While I'll talk about Cosmopolis later this weekend, I'd like to take a little time to talk about the futuristic comedy-drama Robot & Frank and how...
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REVIEW: Celeste and Jesse Keep Fighting for Love Forever, But It Becomes More About Being Right Than Happy

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 11, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Celeste and Jesse Forever

Directed By: Lee Toland Krieger

Starring: Andy Samberg, Rashida Jones, Elijah Wood, Emma Roberts, Eric Christian Olsen, Ari Graynor, and Chris Messina

Romantic comedies typically have this nice smooth formula that generally leads to a happy ending. It's rare that we get a break-up movie hitting theaters. It goes against everything rom coms are about. It's even rarer that we get a divorce movie. Celeste and Jesse Forever is just that though. It's refreshing to get s...
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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: Killer Joe Actually Made KFC Disgusting. No More Chicken for Me.

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 5, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Killer Joe

Directed By: William Friedkin

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, and Thomas Haden Church

The feared NC-17 rating is a label few studios and filmmakers willingly embrace. These bold few often take sex and violence to new heights. They defy the MPAA and do what they need to do to get their message across in an artistic way. It's been nine months since an NC-17 film has graced even a handful of theaters around the country. While Steve McQueen's Sh...
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REVIEW: With Orgies, Magnum Condoms, & Green Semen, The Watch Keeps Its Eye on All Kinds of Sex But Not Another Damn Thing

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, July 28, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Watch

Directed By: Akiva Schaffer

Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, and Rosemarie DeWitt

This final weekend in July feels like déjà vu. Around this time last year, I was talking about the film Cowboys & Aliens and how it failed to live up to its hype. Despite all its talent in front of and behind the camera, the film couldn't deal with the complicated task of being a sci-fi western. Aliens don't fit too well in a world of cops and robbers. As it turns out...
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REVIEW: When Calvin Makes Ruby Sparks Real, She Becomes a Dream Come True for Moviegoers

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, July 26, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Ruby Sparks

Directed By: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

Starring: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Steve Coogan, Elliott Gould, and Chris Messina

With The Dark Knight Rises rocking the mainstream box office right now, I've been waiting to see what indie cinema would provide as counter-programming to the year's most anticipated summer blockbuster. It seems they've decided upon Ruby Sparks this week. As opposed to a dark superhero tale full of pain and struggles, we hav...
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REVIEW: Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection: Time For Madea To Retire

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 30, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Madea's Witness Protection
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Tyler Perry

Starring: Tyler Perry, Eugene Levy, Denise Richards, Romeo Miller, Doris Roberts, and Marla Gibbs

While I like Tyler Perry, I suspect that he has run out of good ideas for his most famous character, Madea. Madea’s Witness Protection is just one stereotype and predictable joke after another. Rich white family? Check. Working class black family? Check. Rich white family comes into contact with black family and become fish ou...
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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: In To Rome With Love, Woody Allen Gives Us Inexplicable Fame, Passionate Romance, and Impeccable Singing in the Shower

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 30, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

To Rome With Love

Directed By: Woody Allen

Starring: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, and Ellen Page

I need to get on Woody Allen's travel tip. This man is getting everywhere. I am so jealous. I look at his "work" locations and feel like a bum. I need to step my travel game up a few notches. This guy has taken us to the count city in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. He's taken us to the city of light in Midnight in Paris. Now,...
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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: God Bless America — A Vicious Indictment of American Culture

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, June 25, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

God Bless America
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Bobcat Goldthwait

Starring: Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr, Mackenzie Brooke Smith, and Melinda Page Hamilton

In the opening scene of God Bless America, the antihero dreams of going next door and shooting his incredibly obnoxious neighbors. He shoots the father and then shoots the baby as blood splatters all over the mother. As a viewer, at that point, I had to decide whether to follow my instinct and recoil from the sight or momentarily suspend my ho...
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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: 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: That's My Boy Sucks. Wassssssssssuuuuup With That?

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, June 17, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

That's My Boy

Directed By: Sean Anders

Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Leighton Meester

Hollywood has decided to travel back in time this weekend. We're going back to the 80s! With the star-studded musical Rock of Ages and the new Adam Sandler comedy That's My Boy, we're getting a double dose of the past. Unfortunately for Happy Madison and Adam Sandler, going back in time won't help to undo the damage done to their brand in recent years with films like Jack & Jill. That's My Boy i...
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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: Getting Drunk, Going Down, & Getting Weird. Jack and Hannah Clearly Have a Good Time in Your Sister's Sister

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 16, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Your Sister's Sister

Directed By: Lynn Shelton

Starring: Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass

If a guy and a girl are best friends for a long period of time, chances are that they're going to fall in love some time down the road if they haven't done so already. It's been proven time and time again in life. It's even been proven on the big screen. From When Harry Met Sally... to Zack and Miri Make a Porno, there are tons of examples on film. The latest movie about best friends fall...
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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: With References Like Kool & the Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire, Driss Gives Us One Wild Ride in The Intouchables

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 9, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

The Intouchables

Directed By: Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano

Starring: François Cluzet and Omar Sy

It was voted the cultural event of the year in France last year. It's won countless awards. It has enamored millions of international moviegoers and conquered the box office overseas, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. The celebrated film The Intouchables has finally made it to the US. With the rather tepid reception here though, it's been a bit anticlimactic. A fil...
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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: Sam, Suzy, & the Orchestra Bring the Thunder During the Black Beacon Storm in Moonrise Kingdom

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 2, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Moonrise Kingdom

Directed By: Wes Anderson

Starring: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, and Harvey Keitel

It's been a few years since we've seen Wes Anderson at the box office, and we've definitely missed his signature filmmaking style. His eccentric visuals, his dry humor, and his caricatured characters are the things that make his films so special. They're why we love his movies so much. We ...
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REVIEW: Men in Black 3 — Will Smith Is In The Building

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, May 26, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Men in Black 3
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Barry Sonnenfeld

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Emma Thompson

I have a confession to make: I love Will Smith. Whether I’m watching him on reruns of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, watching him play a down on his luck homeless man in The Pursuit of Happyness, or seeing him backhand a rude reporter attempting to kiss him, I’m a fan. Thus his hiatus for the last few years has been disappointing...
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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: What to Expect When You’re Expecting — Pregnancy Sucks

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, May 19, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

What to Expect When You're Expecting
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Kirk Jones

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Chace Crawford, and Cheryl Cole

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I read the best-selling book What to Expect When You’re Expecting and it really was a pregnancy “bible.” So I was excited to see what the film would do with the topic of pregnancy and preparing for ...
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REVIEW: Blood Is Thicker Than Water, But Barnabas Fights on for the Collins Family in Vain in Dark Shadows

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 12, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Dark Shadows

Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Bella Heathcoate

When 21 Jump Street came out back in March, we all thought it was just another adaptation of a TV show to the big screen. What was the point of bringing the 80s show back to life? When Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum proved us wrong however, we couldn't have been happier. I was hoping Dark Shadows, an adap...
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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: 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: The Algebra of Love. With Too Many Doufi and Not Enough Playboy Operators, Damsels in Distress Doesn't Quite Get the Math Right

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 15, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Damsels in Distress

Directed By: Whit Stillman

Starring: Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, Analeigh Tipton, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Carrie MacLemore, Hugo Becker, and Ryan Metcalf

While I typically go to the movies to be swept away in some story or adventure, I occasionally learn something when at the theaters. When I recently watched Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress, I got an interesting lesson in ethics. According to the girls in the film, one's morality and the size of his or her posterior are conn...
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REVIEW: Moe, Larry, and Curly are Back as The Three Stooges, But Why? Just Let the Damn Eye Poke Stay Retired.

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 15, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

The Three Stooges

Directed By: Farrelly Brothers

Starring: Chris Diamantoloulos, Sean Hayes, and Will Sasso

Back in the good old days, The Three Stooges were the kings of comedy. Their antics brought smiles to the faces of millions for more than 45 years. For nearly half a century, they helped shape the landscape of television and film with their unique brand of slapstick comedy. Moe, Larry, and Curly are arguably the most iconic comedy act of the twentieth century. With that in mind, Peter ...
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REVIEW: American Reunion May Be Filled With All Kinds of Sex, But It Ain't That Funny

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 7, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

American Reunion

Directed By: Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg

Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, and Tara Reid

It's hard to believe that it's been 13 years since the first American Pie film came out. It's even harder to believe that the movie has spawned seven sequels. Filmmakers have revisited the original gang twice and introduced viewers to other members of the Stifler family in several spin-offs....
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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: Jeff Should've Stayed at Home

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 17, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Directed By: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass

Starring: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Rae Dawn Chong, and Susan Sarandon

If there is one universal thing that can drive anyone and everyone crazy, it's family. They know what makes you tick and how to exploit it. They know how to push your buttons more so than anyone. That's why you have to move out when you come of a certain age. Apparently, Jeff, Who Lives At Home, didn't get the memo.

Thirty something Jeff (Jason Sege...
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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: 21 Jump Street Ain't What It Used To Be

Posted by James Brown on Friday, March 16, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

21 Jump Street

Directed By: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Ellie Kemper, Rob Riggle, and Ice Cube

With the lack of creativity that's been raging in Hollywood in recent years, studios have been bringing many classic television shows to the big screen. Just look at films like Bewitched, Charlie's Angels, and Get Smart. All of these movies are attempts to replicate the magic of the past, and this rarely works. In actuality, the studios ...
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REVIEW: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Has a Little Bit of Something for Everyone

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 11, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Directed By: Lasse Holström

Starring: Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Amr Waked

Running a site like STMR means I have to go see movies that don't necessarily appeal to me. In the last few weeks alone, I've seen the crappy party movie Project X, the absolutely humorless film Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, and the less than impactful romance The Vow. Now, I'm relegating myself to going to see movies about fishing with the British romantic...
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REVIEW: Friends with Kids- The Bridesmaids Cast Grows Up In This Sexy Rom Com

Posted by Mary Dieng on Sunday, March 11, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Friends with Kids
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Jennifer Westfeldt

Starring: Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Megan Fox, and Edward Burns

I cannot write this review without a nod to Bridesmaids. After all, a good portion of the cast of Friends with Kids consists of Bridesmaids alumni: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jon Hamm and Chris O’Dowd. But aside from the fact that both films are funny as hell, that is pretty much where the similarities end. ...
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REVIEW: The Comeback Has Ended for Eddie Murphy. A Thousand Words Says It in a Thousand Ways

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 10, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

A Thousand Words

Directed By: Brian Robbins

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Kerry Washington, Cliff Curtis, Clark Duke, and Allison Janney

Six months ago, the writing was on the wall. Eddie Murphy was making his big comeback. Tower Heist was supposed to herald the return of the old Eddie Murphy. Then, he was supposed to host the Oscars for the first time. Finally, he was going to cap everything off with the comedy vehicle A Thousand Words. To date, I can say that this comeback has definitely been o...
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REVIEW: Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie Is a Billion Dollar Piece of Crap

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 3, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (B$M)

Directed By: Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim

Starring: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Zach Galifianakis, and Will Ferrell

Once in a while, I go to the movies, and I almost forget why I love the movies so much. Sometimes the movies I go see are just so terrible that my faith in the magic of cinema wavers a bit. Particularly now, in this early part of the year, I really just go into this sort of movie depression. There's a lot of crap making its way into...
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REVIEW: Project X Is Anything But Epic

Posted by James Brown on Friday, March 2, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Project X

Directed By: Nima Nourizadeh

Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Nichole Bloom, and Alexis Knapp

Project X has been a pretty hyped up film. With it being marketed as "Superbad on crack" and having filmmaker Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover) on board as a producer, the movie has every reason to be awesome. With all that in mind, I expected it to be. I expected to laugh my ass off. Having now seen Project X, I can say that it's not so awesome after all...
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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: 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: Loosies – Pickpockets Have Problems Too

Posted by Mary Dieng on Sunday, January 29, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Loosies
Mary Dieng

Directed By: Michael Corrente

Starring: Peter Facinelli, Jaimie Alexander, Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano, and Vincent Gallo

Criminals, they’re just like the rest of us! They work their nine to five jobs with little financial reward and the “man” on their backs. They take care of their moms, and they don’t make the best decisions when it comes to love. Who knew?

Bobby (Peter Facinelli) is a thirty-something year old pickpocket who works the streets of New York. Bobb...
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REVIEW: One for the Money Is One for the Crapper

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 28, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

One for the Money

Directed By: Julie Anne Robinson

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo, Sherri Shepherd, and Debbie Reynolds

2010 marked the beginning of the end for Katherine Heigl. When studio execs decided to give her a gun in the romantic comedy Killers, we all knew that she could only go downhill from there. As expected, the film was awful and bombed at the box office. Heigl hasn't had a hit since that disastrous film. For some strange reason, some st...
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REVIEW: Roman Polanski Gives Us Carnage of a Delicious Kind

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, January 15, 2012, In : 0.00% Water

Carnage

Directed By: Roman Polanski

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly

Great comedies are hard to come by. When I do get them though, there's nothing better because I know I'm leaving the theater in a good mood. The last great comedy we had on our hands was Woody Allen's charming Midnight in Paris, which took a satirical look at some of the great intellectuals of the Roaring Twenties. Now, we have Carnage, another satire in which Roman Polanski takes a g...
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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: The Sitter is a TV Movie That Fell Through the Cracks and Somehow Made It to the Big Screen

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, December 11, 2011, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Sitter

Directed By: David Gordon Green

Starring: Jonah Hill, Ari Graynor, and Max Records

Whether a comedian or action star, most male actors have had low points in their careers where they end up babysitting on the big screen. The Pacifier, Daddy Day Care, and Kindergarten Cop all epitomize these low points. In his latest film The Sitter, Jonah Hill decides to join the club and go down this same sad path as many actors before him have gone.

Noah (Jonah Hill) was suspended from college af...
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REVIEW: New Year's Eve Doesn't Get the Party Started Right

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 10, 2011, In : 0.09% Cocktails

New Year's Eve

Directed By: Garry Marshall

Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jon Bon Jovi, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Hilary Swank, Abigail Breslin, Halle Berry, Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lea Michele, Josh Duhamel, Sofia Vergara, Ludacris, Til Schweiger, and Seth Meyers

New Year's Eve is one of my favorite days of the year. The booze are freely flowing, and the party never stops no matter where you are. If you happen to be in New York for New Year's, the h...
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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: The Descendants Is One Big Beautiful, Somber Take on Hawaiian Life

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 20, 2011, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Descendants

Directed By: Alexander Payne

Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Judy Greer, and Beau Bridges

George Clooney has been a busy man this year. He's directed and starred in The Ides of March. Now he's starring in Alexander Payne's The Descendants. In both films, he's been at his absolute best. On the other hand, Alexander Payne, who's known for his films About Schmidt and Sideways, has been just the opposite. We haven't seen him behind the camera in seven years. In The D...
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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: 50/50 Beats the Odds and Strikes Cinematic Gold

Posted by James Brown on Monday, October 3, 2011, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

50/50

Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anjelica Huston

Generally, dealing with the subject of cancer is a touchy subject, even on the big screen. When the powers that be decided to tackle the life of screenwriter Will Reiser and the nearly insurmountable challenges posed by his cancer and the notion of dying young, they knew that they needed a few jokes to cut the tension of such depressing subjects. In the dramedy...
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REVIEW: Midnight in Paris is the Vacation You Never Want to End

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Midnight in Paris

Directed By: Woody Allen

Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, and Michael Sheen

Once in a while, a film comes along that makes you lose all sense of reality. You lose track of time and how long you've been in the theater. You forget what else is going on in your life. You become fully immersed in an engaging fictional tale that takes you to another world. That's the magic of a truly great film. Woody Allen's Midnig...
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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: The Change-Up Needs a Makeover Into an R-Rated Comedy

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 7, 2011, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Change-Up

Directed By: David Dobkin

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, and Olivia Wilde

Ryan Reynolds and Olivia Wilde cannot put out a good film this year. Green Lantern and Cowboys & Aliens— films starring Reynolds and Wilde respectively — have been critically panned and have had anything but stellar performances at the box office. For The Change-Up, they bring Jason Bateman and Leslie Mann into their slump. The Change-Up is a heartwarming, wholesome comedy trying ...
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REVIEW: Friends with Benefits Offers Few Benefits for Moviegoers

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 7, 2011, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Friends with Benefits

Directed By: Will Gluck

Starring: Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis

The romantic comedies keep coming this summer. Most of them lack originality and style. Some even lack genuine romance or comedy. Nowadays, they're just counter-programming to big blockbusters like Harry Potter and Transformers. Will Gluck's Friends with Benefits is another one of these unoriginal, unfunny romantic comedies. The romance between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis is there, but the laughs a...
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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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