Showing Tag: "war" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: Making His Way to Eden by Way of North Dakota, Daddy Logan Becomes the Wolverine One Last Time & Finds His Sunseeker Boat

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, March 9, 2017, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Logan

Directed By: James Mangold

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, and Dafne Keen

Hugh Jackman has had a long run as Wolverine. The only actor with a comparable run of movies as a comics character that's just as fabled on the big screen is Robert Downey, Jr. in his portrayals of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starting with Bryan Singer's X-Men some seventeen years ago, Jackman has appeared on camera as the grumpy ageless mut...

REVIEW: Given Her Necklace of Kyber Crystals, Rogue One's Hopeful Stardust Jyn Erso Is One With the Force and the Force Is With Her

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, December 17, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Directed By: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, and Forest Whitaker

"I am one with the force, and the force is with me."

-Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen)

There is no doubt that Disney has had a mighty year with hit after hit after hit. From The Jungle Book and Zootopia to Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange, the studio has had a banner year. With rumors swirling about...

REVIEW: In Hacksaw Ridge, The Lord Helps Conscientious Objector Desmond "Corn Stalk" Doss Get One More

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, November 13, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Hacksaw Ridge

Directed By: Mel Gibson

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, and Vince Vaughn

"Lord, please help me get one more."

-Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield)

In my five years writing for STMR, there's one prominent filmmaker whose movies I've not had the chance to review — the one and only Mel Gibson. There's a good reason for it. The Passion of the Christ director has maintained a pretty low standing in the court of public ...

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: 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: 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: Referring Up, Eye in the Sky Brings Down the Hellfire In Spite of the Rules of Engagement

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, March 19, 2016, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Eye in the Sky

Directed By: Gavin Hood

Starring: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, and Barkhad Abdi

There may never be another like the late great Alan Rickman. He truly was a distinguished thespian whose every word was delivered in a savory, captivating manner on the big screen. Whether you remember him as Hans Gruber, Sheriff George, Severus Snape, or any of the many other characters he's portrayed over the years, I pray you don't remember him for his final role as Blue Caterpillar in ...

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: Beasts Of No Nation: A Chilling African Hunger Games

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, January 23, 2016, In : 0.00% Water

Beasts of No Nation
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Starring: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, and Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye

Netflix continues to innovate and produce quality entertainment in the streaming media realm with its release of Beasts of No Nation. Netflix is currently streaming a gripping African war drama at a time when #Oscarssowhite is trending and wreaking havoc on the Academy Awards. Many critics lament that Idris Elba was overlooked in the Oscar’s best supporting acto...

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

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

Concussion

Directed By: Peter Landesman

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

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

-Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks)

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

REVIEW: Hail Tyrant Macbeth, AKA Michael Fassbender in the Next Great Shakespeare Adaptation

Posted by James Brown on Monday, December 21, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Macbeth

Directed By: Justin Kurzel

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki, and David Thewlis

Here we are again with yet another Shakespearean adaptation at the box office. The fun thing about reviewing these films is that the narrative hardly ever factors into my review. It's all about the execution and the overarching creative vision driving each big screen take on the famed playwright’s theatrical works (if he wrote them)...

REVIEW: Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Rebooting A New Hope

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Friday, December 18, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow

It is impossible to overstate the world's enthusiasm for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The original Star Wars trilogy is arguably the most influential franchise in cinematic history and is permanently cemented in popular cultur...

REVIEW: With Roman Holiday, The Brave One & Spartacus, Trumbo & the Blacklisted Hollywood Ten Fight the Motion Picture Alliance

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

Trumbo

Directed By: Jay Roach

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Louis C.K., Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Helen Mirren, Alan Tudyk, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Hollywood loves films about itself. The proof is in the awards-filled pudding. Movies about the movies have gotten lots of awards love over the last several years. The Artist and Argo added Best Picture Oscars under their belts, while Hugo cleaned up in the technical awards categories across the board. Films such...

REVIEW: In Bridge of Spies, Standing Man James B. Donovan Gives Us More Than Just a 2-for-1 at Glienicke Bridge & Checkpoint Charlie

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 17, 2015, In : 0.00% Water

Bridge of Spies

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda

"You're not worried?!"

-James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks)

"Would it help?"

-Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance)

There is such a thing as a match made in heaven on the big screen. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are living proof of this. You need to look no further than films such as Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal. Any collaboration between these two cinema legends is a 2-for-1 spe...

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

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

The Walk

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

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

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

REVIEW: Testament of Youth Is A Beautiful, Tragic Testament for Pacifism from WWI Nurse, Oxford Scholar, & Writer Vera Brittain

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, July 12, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Testament of Youth

Directed By: James Kent

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Colin Morgan, Emily Watson, Hayley Atwell, Dominic West, and Miranda Richardson

I recently had the distinct displeasure of watching Kit Harington die twice in the same weekend on the big and small screens. As you all may be aware, there was a mutiny against Jon Snow (Harington) on Game of Thrones for his love of the Wildlings, for the Watch. With the perception of Snow as breaking bread with their enemy, the i...
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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: Theoretically, Pops & the Exiles of Time in Terminator Genisys Are Old, Not Obsolete

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, July 2, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Terminator Genisys

Directed By: Alan Taylor

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Lee Byung-hun, and J. K. Simmons

"Follow a straight line and don't look back.”
-Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke)

I recently read an article on Entertainment Weekly's website about the decline of the American actor. The article espouses that, after generations of heavyweights like Brando, Nicholson, Streep, and Pacino, there's no one picking up the mantle. The problem is pretty a...
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REVIEW: With the Indominus Rex, Velociraptors That Can Take Orders & An Aging Tyrannosaurus Rex, Jurassic World Tries to Up the Wow Factor

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

Jurassic World

Directed By: Colin Trevorrow

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

Twenty two years ago this week, the perfect storm came together at the box office. Jurassic Park opened. As I reflect nostalgically upon this monumental moment in movie history, I realize that the stars had to align for Jurassic Park to be truly one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. The story had to be ther...
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Star Wars Episode VII: Comparing Cast to Their Roles

Posted by Zack Mandell on Wednesday, May 27, 2015,

Star Wars Episode VII does not only bring back classic characters, but also introduces new ones to the story. As of now, three new heroes and a villain are generating a great deal of excitement and speculation amongst the fan base of the franchise. Here’s a breakdown of the actors in their upcoming roles:

John Boyega as “Finn”

British-born John Boyega is no stranger to acting in sci-fi roles, as evidenced by his film debut Attack the Block. Not only that, but he also identifies as a fa...
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REVIEW: Struggling With Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease, Linguist & Butterfly Still Alice Lives in the Moment & Masters the Art of Losing

Posted by James Brown on Monday, January 26, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Still Alice

Directed By: Richard Glatzer

Starring: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, and Hunter Parrish

I'm baaack! I am slowly but surely resuming my normal activities and getting back to my beloved big screen. As I've returned, one obvious reality finally smacked me in the face about this awards season. It's a very dark one in which films like Birdman and Whiplash have been integral players. Yes, there is the coming-of-age awards mammoth Boyhood, which is on the...
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REVIEW: American Sniper – A Gripping Tale Of Sheepdogs, Sheep and Wolves

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, January 17, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

American Sniper
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Sammy Sheik, and Cory Hardrict

The recent shootings at Charlie Hebdo and the subsequent anti-terrorist operations have brought terrorism and the conflict in the Middle East to the forefront. A film about the deadliest sniper in U.S. history and his service in Iraq is either ill-timed or perfectly timed, depending on one’s perspective.

Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) was raised in Texas. His father ...
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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: Unbroken – Zamperini Triumphs Over The Bird In This Inspiring True Story

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, December 30, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Unbroken
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Angelina Jolie

Starring: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Takamasa Ishihara, Finn Witrock, and Jai Courtney

Written by Joel and Ethan Coen, Unbroken chronicles the amazing life of Olympian Louis Zamperini. I approached Unbroken with extreme reluctance. The film interrupted my traditional A Christmas Story, Elf and Home Alone Christmas marathon. Moreover, a film about survival, resilience and redemption did not fit in with my festive hol...
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REVIEW: In Big Eyes, S. Cenic & MDH Keane Suffer the Same Fate, Walter Keane

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

Big Eyes

Directed By: Tim Burton

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

I've said it a couple of times already, but I feel compelled to say it again. This Christmas at the box office has sucked. Where have all the good movies gone? Normally, there are a couple of movies that alter my choices on the year's best films at the last minute. Normally, there are potential awards season powerhouses arriving right about now...
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REVIEW: There and Back Again, The Battle of the Five Armies Takes The Hobbit Full Circle to The Fellowship of the Ring

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, December 18, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian Mckellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, and Orlando Bloom

There and back again. This hobbit's tale has been a tumultuous journey that has never quite taken us back there to that place of movie magic called Middle Earth in a way that The Lord of the Rings trilogy did ...
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REVIEW: In The Hunger Games, Mockingjay Katniss Gets the Burning Districts to Come to the Tree Singing So That the Capitol Burns With Us

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

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

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

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

The consequences of Warner Bros. decision to split Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two theatrical installments still echo today as ot...
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REVIEW: Interstellar Travel & Newton's Third Law Help Cooper, Brand, & TARS Find the 5th Dimension & Murphy's Ghost in a Gargantuan Wormhole

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 8, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

Interstellar

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Topher Grace, David Gyasi, Josh Stewart, and Matt Damon

"Do not go gentle into that good night; Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
-Dylan Thomas

Ambition is the cornerstone of truly great filmmaking. If a filmmaker is not taking creative risks and is being overly ca...
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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: Fury – Ideals Are Peaceful, History Is Violent

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Monday, October 20, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Fury
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: David Ayer

Starring: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal, Scott Eastwood

World War II has been depicted in countless films, most famously in Saving Private Ryan. With the war on ISIL raging, the conflict in the Ukraine, and the never ending turmoil in the Middle East, a World War II film feels oddly timely. David Ayer’s Fury is a compelling drama that depicts the savagery and the emotional and physical trauma that war inflicts on ...

REVIEW: Prince Vlad Dracula, Son of the Devil, Goes to the Untold Broken Tooth Mountain to Protect His People From the Turks

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, October 12, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Dracula Untold

Directed By: Gary Shore

Starring: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Art Parkinson, and Charles Dance

It's another weekend and yet another reminder that every other Hollywood studio wants to be Marvel. With blockbusters Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy perpetuating the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's easy to see why everyone else is so envious. While Fox had an excellent outing with X-Men: Days of Future Past in May, the film i...
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REVIEW: For a Soul, Annabelle Higgins Blandly Introduces Mia Gordon to Her Satanic Cult the Disciples of Ram with Nursery Music

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, October 4, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Annabelle

Directed By: John R. Leonetti

Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, and Alfre Woodard

The last movie I saw about a doll was A Haunted House 2. Though the atrocious spoof was much earlier in the year, my bitterness lingers on today. With the notion of Marlon Wayans shamelessly sexing a doll named Abigail in the back of my mind, it's needless to say a horror movie about the doll on which Abigail is based is the last thing I want to see on the big screen. As it stands...
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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: The Knife Before Christmas Doctor Death, Galgo & Conrad Snowbanks Can't Quite Rescue The Deletable Expendables 3

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

The Expendables 3

Directed By: Patrick Hughes

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Robert Davi, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger

There comes a time when retirement is no longer a luxury but a duty, particularly when one's line of work demands a certain physicality. Professional wrestling, a young man's game, has so...
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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: In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Koba Lives by a Code Other Than Caesar's Ape Not Kill Ape — War

Posted by James Brown on Friday, July 11, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Directed By: Matt Reeves

Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Kodi Smit-McPhee

"Ape not kill ape. Ape together strong."

This summer seems to have climaxed pretty early. I'd make the case that we peaked with Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past a couple of months ago. I know that there are a few mindless moviegoers who will stand by Michael Bay's recently released Transformers: Age of Extinction, but most h...
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REVIEW: In Edge of Tomorrow, Major William Cage & Angel of Verdun Rita Vrataski Lead UDF's Operation Downfall Against Omega & Its Mimics #LiveDieRepeat

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

Edge of Tomorrow

Directed By: Doug Liman

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, and Brendan Gleeson

"Battle’s the great redeemer. A fiery crucible in which the only true heroes are forged."
-Master Sergeant Farrell Bartolome (Bill Paxton)

The age of movie stardom may be long dead, but Tom Cruise's career on the big screen is quite far from it. After a career full of ups and downs in this risky business, the timeless actor still remains willing to take a gamble at the box office. Whil...
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REVIEW: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Mystique's DNA Unlocks the Key for Charles Xavier to Bear Mutants' Pain Without Breaking & Dare to Hope Again

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, May 24, 2014, In : 0.00% Water

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Directed By: Bryan Singer

Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart

"So many battles waged over the years... and yet, none like this. Are we destined to destroy each other, or can we change each other and unite? Is the future truly set?"
-Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart)

This year has offered a glut of ambitious comic book...
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REVIEW: Thanks to a Map, a Radio, & Hellacious Torture, Railway Man Eric Lomax & Japanese Interpreter Takashi Nagase Become Good Friends

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

The Railway Man

Directed By: Jonathan Teplitzky

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

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

If any...
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REVIEW: Sabotage – Breacher Delivers Violence, But Not Much Else

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, March 30, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Sabotage
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: David Ayer

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Harold Perrineau, Martin Donovan, Max Martini, Josh Holloway, and Mireille Enos

Since his political career ended and his marital woes took center stage, Arnold Schwarzenegger has not been able to connect with American audiences. His most recent films, The Last Stand and Escape Plan were box office duds domestically, and his latest action thriller Sa...
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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 Stout Wooden Ships & A Tidal Wave of Heroes' Blood, Themistocles Unites a Free Greece Against the Rise of Artemisia's Empire & Can Sit at the Table

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

300: Rise of an Empire

Directed By: Noam Murro

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

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

With the Oscars now in our rearview mirror, we can fully focus on what lies ahead this year. More ...
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REVIEW: Dark Vengeance – Literally Made For Television

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Dark Vengeance
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Keoni Waxman

Starring: Steven Seagal, Warren Christie, Sarah Lind, Tzi Ma, Meghan Ory, and George Takei

As a child of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, I have a certain affinity for cheesy martial arts/crime/sci-fi fare. I grew up on films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal. For heaven’s sake, I’ve seen Cyborg multiple times. Thus, I am not opposed to the resurgence of 80’s actors, who are provi...
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REVIEW: Unlike the Movie, Marcus Luttrell, Frogman & Lone Survivor of Operation Red Wings, Is Saved by the Code of Honor Pashtunwali

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

Lone Survivor

Directed By: Peter Berg

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

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

I try to stay away from other critics' reviews before I see a movie. Every now and then, however, my eyes wander, and I find myself delving into ...
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REVIEW: 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: 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: Reading About Grave Digging & Playing the Accordion, Book Thief Liesel and Her Papa Hans Don't Make the Cut

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

The Book Thief

Directed By: Brian Percival

Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and Ben Schnetzer

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Independent filmmakers need to stop making World War II movies. In the last year or so, we've had Lore, Emperor, and Simon and the Oaks. Now, we have The Book Thief, another film that takes us back to the so-called greatest generation and the dark days marked by the Holocaust. While I certainly respect the history, it's been done a...
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REVIEW: In How I Live Now, Daisy's Will Power Is Not Quite Enough, Especially When It Comes to Cow Cheese

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

How I Live Now

Directed By: Kevin Macdonald

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

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

Romances can kill movies sometimes. The undying need to have repeatedly schmaltzy moments can sap away all the energy on screen. I'm sure there are a million movies that fit this description. The worst ones usually involve teens. When this happens, ...
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REVIEW: 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: Prisoners Is One Intense Abduction Thriller Chock Full of Snakes, Torture, and Mazes

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

Prisoners

Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, and Paul Dano

It's official. The awards season has begun at the box office. Though we've had some early contenders such as Fruitvale Station, Blue Jasmine, and The Butler, we've now hit that time of year where we'll see more of the movies that will be competing for golden statuettes in January and February of next year. Last year around this time, we had Pau...
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REVIEW: Jobs – Steve Jobs As An Innovative Jerk

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

Jobs
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Joshua Michael Stern

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, Lesley Ann Warren, Ron Eldard, Ahna O’Reilly, John Getz, James Woods, and Matthew Modine

Believe it or not, I did not have any interest in seeing a film about Steve Jobs. While I respect his legacy and the impact he has had on my life, I was not exactly doing cartwheels when I was tasked with reviewing the film. Sure, I have seen Toy Story, used an iPod, an iPad...
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REVIEW: The Butler Is the Tale of Two Faces Needed to Survive — the Subversive Black Domestic Cecil Gaines and Freedom Rider Louis Gaines

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 17, 2013, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Lee Daniels' The Butler

Directed By: Lee Daniels

Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, David Oyelowo, Vanessa Redgrave, Mariah Carey, Robin Williams, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, Minka Kelly, Liev Schreiber, John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda, Alex Pettyfer, Yaya DaCosta, Colman Domingo, Aml Ameen, Orlando Eric Street, Nelsan Ellis, Alex Manette, Lenny Kravitz, and Jesse Williams

Filmmakers are taking us to school, and black history is front and center t...
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REVIEW: In 2 Guns, Robbing Tres Cruces is Worse Than Robbing the Bank Across the Street From a Diner With the Best Donuts in Three Counties

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

2 Guns

Directed By: Baltasar Kormâkur

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

The summer movie season is starting to wind down. It's been an underwhelming summer to say the least. With bomb after bomb after bomb hitting the box office, we've been continuously disappointed. The duds have included films like After Earth, White House Down, The Lone Ranger, and R.I.P.D. Though there have certainly been standouts lik...
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REVIEW: 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: If You're a Member of the Weather Underground Organization Like Nick Sloan, Secrets are the Only Company You Keep

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

The Company You Keep

Directed By: Robert Redford

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

Robert Redford has been a busy man as of late. He's joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Nick Fury's boss in Captain America: Winter Soldier. He'll be appearing in survival thriller All...
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REVIEW: 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: On the Road, Dean and Sal Have More Sex, Drugs, and Liquor Than I Thought Humanly Possible

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, March 24, 2013, In : 0.09% Cocktails

On the Road

Directed By: Walter Salles

Starring: Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Danny Morgan, Alice Braga, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Terrence Howard, and Steve Buscemi

Despite its impressive cast, I was never really looking forward to On the Road. This adaptation of Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel may have Mary Jane, Lois Lane, and Aragorn, but it also has Bella. I always have my doubts with a Kristen Stewart movie, or any film starring a...
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REVIEW: In Ginger & Rosa, the Young War Protester and Dad's Side Chick Can't Be Best Friends Forever

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

Ginger & Rosa

Directed By: Sally Potter

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

There have been a lot of period pieces this month. We've been taken back to post-WWII Germany and Japan in Lore and Emperor. We've been taken to Chile back in the 1980s in No. This weekend, we're being taken back to 1960s London during the height of the Cold War with the United States and the Soviet Union embroiled in a tense fe...
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REVIEW: Heaven or Hell, Lore Will Do What She Must to Get to Her Omi in Hamburg

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

Lore

Directed By: Cate Shortland

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

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

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

Dead Man Down

Directed By: Niels Arden Oplev

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

Noomi Rapace's career has been on the rise for quite some time now, and it's well-deserved given her raw acting talent. In the last couple of years, the original girl with the dragon tattoo has gotten some major exposure on the big screen. Rapace had a supporting role alongside Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shado...
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REVIEW: 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: With the Merchant of Venice and the Loch Ness Monster, Breaking Dawn Part 2 Almost Breaks the Crappy Twilight Mold

Posted by James Brown on Friday, November 16, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2

Directed By: Bill Condon

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, and Michael Sheen

It's finally over! After three novels, four years, and countless bad performances, the Twilight plague is finally over! After enduring the first four films, I came to the final installment The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 ready to break out the shot glasses. I had every right to be. After all...

REVIEW: With Steven Spielberg's Compass, Lincoln Finds Its True North

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 10, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Lincoln

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, Jared Harris, John Hawkes, and David Oyelowo

"We must cure ourselves of slavery. This amendment is that cure. We’re stepped out upon the world stage now with the fate of human dignity in our hands. Blood's been spilled to afford us this moment. Now! Now! Now!"
-President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis)

REVIEW: Alex Cross- Madea Versus A Psychopath

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, October 20, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

Alex Cross
SoberFilmChick

Directed by: Rob Cohen

Starring: Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Edward Burns, Cicely Tyson, Jean Reno, Rachel Nichols, Carmen Ejogo

Maybe my title is a little harsh. However, I am pretty sure that is what everyone was thinking when they saw the trailer for the movie, along with other burning questions: Is that Madea as a cop? Can Tyler Perry fill the shoes of Morgan Freeman who previously played Alex Cross in film adaptations of James Patterson’s novels? Why on God’s...
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REVIEW: Despite All the Cheese, The Expendables 2 Reunites the Babysitters with the Lone Wolf Chuck Norris. No Matter How Bad It Gets, You Can't Go Wrong with Chuck.

Posted by James Brown on Friday, August 17, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails

The Expendables 2

Directed By: Simon West

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger

It's time for the AARP's annual night at the movies, and we've got a few special guests. Sylvester Stallone, a guy who lives in the past and misses his glory days, will be serving as the MC. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will be strutting into the...
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REVIEW: Aaron Cross Takes Up the Bourne Legacy, While Sin-Eater Eric Byer Tries to Burn Operation Outcome Down to the Ground

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

The Bourne Legacy

Directed By: Tony Gilroy

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

The Bourne Legacy is a film that's had a shadow cast over it from the day it was announced. It's the Jason Bourne movie without Jason Bourne. With Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon departing the franchise, it's a new chapter in the series. Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Duplicity) is taking the director's chair from Greengrass, while Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, Mission: ...
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REVIEW: 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: ¡Viva Cristo Rey! This Doesn't Mean You Won't Need Some Tequila During For Greater Glory Though

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, June 7, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

For Greater Glory

Directed By: Dean Wright

Starring: Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Eduardo Verástegui, Peter O'Toole, Bruce Greenwood, Oscar Isaac, and Nestor Carbonell

Religious tolerance has been a major issue throughout all of human history. Nobody wants to be told by anyone else what to believe or what not to believe. People want religious freedom (at least for themselves). Nonetheless, what history remembers most often concerns those who are persecuted and denied the right to believe in wh...
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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: Snow White and the Huntsman — Not Your Mother’s Fairytale

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, June 2, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

Snow White and the Huntsman
SoberFilmChick

Directed By: Rupert Sanders

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, and Ian McShane

Finally! Something has come along to erase the memory of Julia Roberts’ lackluster Snow White tale Mirror, Mirror from earlier this year. If we had to ask the mirror on the wall which was the fairest film of all based on Snow White, The Huntsman would win by a landslide. With sweeping cinematography, interesting characters, and a heft...
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REVIEW: The Damn Few Have Every Reason to Be Proud of Act of Valor...Except for Some Bad Acting

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

Act of Valor

Directed By: Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh

Starring: Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano, and Emilio Rivera

Movies based on true stories have the greatest advantage over fictional films—the plethora of people who can offer expertise on the story being told based on their actual life experiences. Their consultation in the filmmaking process can often lend a film a certain authenticity. Look no further than recent films like Moneyball and In the Land of Blood and Honey. These flicks rea...
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REVIEW: Red Tails Never Takes Off From the Runway

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, January 21, 2012, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

Red Tails

Directed By: Anthony Hemingway

Starring: Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Daniela Rush, Bryan Cranston, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ryan Early, Method Man, Elijah Kelley, and Ne-Yo

Black History Month will be upon us in a couple of weeks, but Hollywood has decided to get the jump on everyone else this weekend by putting out a film on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots in the US armed forces. In the face of racism, prejudice, and discrimination, they were trailbl...
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REVIEW: Angelina Jolie's In the Land of Blood and Honey Is Quite Savage But Very Rarely Sweet

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, January 15, 2012, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

In the Land of Blood and Honey

Directed By: Angelina Jolie

Starring: Goran Kostić, Zana Marjanović, and Rade Šerbedžija

I don't ever go into a war movie expecting to come out a happy camper. With a wartime romance though, I wasn't quite sure how I'd come out feeling. After seeing Angelina Jolie's directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey though, I can tell you that they're just as depressing. With all the rape, torture, and murder I've witnessed during this film, I need a drink wit...
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REVIEW: Steven Spielberg’s War Horse Is Gritty and Glorious

Posted by James Brown on Tuesday, December 27, 2011, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers

War Horse

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Hiddleston

When I first about Steven Spielberg's War Horse, I thought I was going to be in for a bunch of sentimental crap. Come on. It's a movie about a horse. When I heard the movie was two and a half hours, only one word came to mind — damn. I had to watch a movie about a horse for that long. When I finally saw War Horse, I was pleasantly surprised. ...
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REVIEW: Like Bella, I Have Nightmares. Last Night, I Dreamt About Twilight

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 19, 2011, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Directed By: Bill Condon

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner

I always try to see the best in movies, but sometimes films are just so crappy that they're downright nightmarish. In my first official review of a Twilight film, I wanted to give a decent review. I wanted to be nice and not piss off those diehard Twilight fans, but the temptation to trash this crappy film is just too great. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part...
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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: Cowboys & Aliens Has the Right Talent But Not the Right Act

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

Cowboys & Aliens

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde

The idea of combining the Wild West and outer space in a film is just so crazy that it could have worked. With names like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Jon Favreau behind Cowboys & Aliens, we should have expected great things from the film. An even better case could be made for the movie given that it's starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Unfortunately, the film does not live up to its h...
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