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Movie Reviews

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Nov. 20

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Red Cliff 4-star-rating.gif
John Woo's mega-budget war history impresses with spectacular battle sequences, mindless fun. 
For the full review, click here.

Mammoth 3-5-star-rating.gif
A deeply touching and personal family drama... but a little plot would've been nice.
For the full review, click here.

Broken Embraces 3-star-rating.gif 
A wonderful vehicle for Penelope Cruz, but a clunky, soap opera-like story surrounds her. 
For the full review, click here.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 2-5-star-rating.gif
Vastly better than the original Twilight, but still dragged down by a vapid story. 
For the full review, click here.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans 2-star-rating.gif
Port of Call New Orleans - Herzog and Cage make for a baffling combo in this lost remake.
For the full review, click here.

The Missing Person 2-star-rating.gif
A wannabe postmodern noir, but its rigid structure keeps it from capturing the right mood. 
For the full review, click here.

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Tags: bad lieutenant: port of call new orleans, broken embraces, mammoth, red cliff, the missing person, the twilight saga: new moon

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Nov. 13

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Fantastic Mr. Fox 4-5-star-rating.gif
Wes Anderson's stop-motion creation is a true delight, against all odds. 
For the full review, click here.

2012 3-star-rating.gif 
When the world ends, only the dumb will survive. Crazy effects + moronic characters = well, this. 
For the full review, click here.

Pirate Radio 3-star-rating.gif 
It's Animal House on a boat as '60s music nerds fend off The Man. Cliche-riddled, but it works. 
For the full review, click here.

The Messenger 3-star-rating.gif 
Woody Harrelson offers a career-making role in this thoughtful and often raw war-torn film.
For the full review, click here.

Four Seasons Lodge 2-star-rating.gif
Documentary of Holocaust survivors in the Catskills has heart, but no narrative flow.
For the full review, click here.

Women in Trouble 2-star-rating.gif
Cute idea (literally many hot women in precarious situations), but the movie can't carry it.
For the full review, click here.

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Tags: 2012, fantastic mr. fox, four seasons lodge, pirate radio, the messenger, women in trouble

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Nov. 6

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Collapse 4-5-star-rating.gif
Prepare to meet your economic dystopia of a future in this harrowing profile of Michael Ruppert.
For the full review, click here.

The Box 4-star-rating.gif
Richard Kelly's most accessible work yet, a mysterious and compelling Christmas thriller.
For the full review, click here.

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire 3-5-star-rating.gif
Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire - Searing race drama -- Oprah- and Filmcritic.com-approved!
For the full review, click here.

The Fourth Kind 3-star-rating.gif 
A smart-ass mockumentary in the Blair Witch vein, with alien abduction as the conceit.
For the full review, click here.

Turning Green 2-5-star-rating.gif
Another lazy and underdeveloped coming-of-age movie, this one set in 1979.
For the full review, click here.


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Tags: collapse, precious, the box, the fourth kind, turning green

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Oct. 30

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This Is It 4-5-star-rating.gif
A glorious tribute and celebration of Michael Jackson. Fans only need apply. 
For the full review, click here.

The House of the Devil 3-5-star-rating.gif
A breath of ('80s-inspired) fresh air in the rapidly stagnating horror genre. 
For the full review, click here.

Storm 2-5-star-rating.gif
A passionate look at the Bosnian conflict, but one so soberly conceived it has little impact.
For the full review, click here.

Gentlemen Broncos 1-5-star-rating.gif
Napoleon Dynamite director returns with a limp, laugh-free stab at comedy. 
For the full review, click here.

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Tags: gentleman broncos, storm, the hosue of the devil, this is it

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Oct. 23

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Ong Bak 2
We have no idea what this movie's really about, but there's a whole lot of butt-kicking in it. 3-star-rating.gif 
For the full review, click here.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Witty but slight, this freakshow adventure could have been better. 3-star-rating.gif 
For the full review, click here.

Night and Day
Epic in scope, this lush love story plays out as a complex (if imperfect) travelogue. 3-star-rating.gif 
For the full review, click here.

Antichrist
Lars Von Trier aims to shock and succeeds with this grotesque, graphic, and manipulative flick. 2-5-star-rating.gif
For the full review, click here.

Astro Boy

Mindless and vapid, it represents everything wrong with computer animation today. 2-star-rating.gif
For the full review, click here.

Motherhood
Sloppy, muddled attempt at exploring the perils of parenting plays to cliche rather than insight. 1-star-rating.gif
For the full review, click here.


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Tags: antichrist, astro boy, cirque du freak: the vampire's assistant, motherhood, night and day, ong bak 2

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Oct. 16

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Where the Wild Things Are 5-star-rating.gif
Absolutely amazing live-action recreation of the children's classic. Don't miss it. 
For the full review, click here.

Mary and Max 4-star-rating.gif
Adult animation done right, a touching and often hysterical tale of happiness and its absence. 
For the full review, click here.

Black Dynamite 3-5-star-rating.gif
The spoof everyone's talking about, a silly blaxploitation gag that takes no prisoners. 
For the full review, click here.

Law Abiding Citizen 3-star-rating.gif 
Not a bad (if bizarre) actioner, it's uncomplicated but mostly gets the job done. 
For the full review, click here.

New York, I Love You 2-star-rating.gif
Thin and weak, a mostly sad paean to a great city. 
For the full review, click here.

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Tags: black dynamite, law abiding citizen, mary and max, new york i love you, where the wild things are

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Oct. 9

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The Yes Men Fix the World 3-star-rating.gif
Fearless dissidents take on big oil, with often hilarious results.
For the full review, click here.

Couples Retreat 1-5-star-rating.gif
Desperate for laughs, this comedy relies on tired bits and hammy dialogue. Doesn't work.
For the full review, click here.

An Education 3-star-rating.gif
Newcomer Carey Mulligan is one to watch; the movie she's in is hit-and-miss.
For the full review, click here.

Good Hair 3-5-star-rating.gif
Chris Rock narrates this documentary on black hair. A fun but hardly incisive analysis.
For the full review, click here.

St. Trinian's 1-star-rating.gif
Inane prep-school dramedy attempts charm and laughs but finds neither.
For the full review, click here.

Trucker 2-star-rating.gif
Lady trucker sleeps around, then has to deal with her kid. Sounds like a party, no?
For the full review, click here.

The Damned United 3-5-star-rating.gif
A (true) soccer story -- go see it even if you have only a passing interest in the sport.
For the full review, click here.

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Filed under: Movie Reviews
Tags: an education, couples retreat, good hair, st trinian's, the damned united, the yes men fix the world, trucker

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released Oct. 2

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Zombieland 4-5-star-rating.gif
Outright hysterical horror comedy is perfectly cast and never lets up with action and laughs. 
For the full review, click here.

A Serious Man 4-5-star-rating.gif
Solemnly personal film from the Coen brothers, complex but incredibly rewarding. 
For the full review, click here.

Whip It 4-star-rating.gif
Drew Barrymore lands her dream project, a sassy blast of girl power set in the roller derby world. 
For the full review, click here.

Afterschool 3-5-star-rating.gif
An audacious and horrible send-up of the after-school special, decidedly not for the squeamish. 
For the full review, click here.

More Than a Game 3-5-star-rating.gif
LeBron James toils and pays his dues to become a b-ball star; here's how it went down.
For the full review, click here.

A Beautiful Life 2-star-rating.gif
Even Bai Ling appearing as a stripper can salvage this thin melodrama.
For the full review, click here.

An American Journey 2-star-rating.gif
French filmmaker follows in Swiss photographer's footsteps in America. OK then. 
For the full review, click here.

The Invention of Lying 1-5-star-rating.gif
Creatively and morally bankrupt, this goofy premise just doesn't work. 
For the full review, click here.

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Filed under: Movie Reviews
Tags: a beautiful life, a serious man, afterschool, an american journey, the invention of lying, whip it, zombieland

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released September 25

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Surrogates 4-star-rating.gif
Actually quite intelligent and ominous, a startling look at our potential tech-dystopia.
For the full review, click here.

Coco Before Chanel 3-5-star-rating.gif
Of primary interest to those who adore fashion; an endearing look at young Coco.
For the full review, click here.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men 4-star-rating.gif
Angry dudes talk a lot; brutally honest, and just a little sexist. 
For the full review, click here.

Fame 3-5-star-rating.gif
A surprisingly good, earnest remake of the classic hoofer. Go see it. You're not gonna live forever.
For the full review, click here.

Capitalism: A Love Story 3-5-star-rating.gif
Michael Moore takes on the American Way in this personal docu-fantasy.
For the full review, click here.

Bronson 3-star-rating.gif 
Different Bronson. This one is Britain's most notorious serial convict. And his story is raw. 
For the full review, click here.

Chelsea on the Rocks 3-star-rating.gif 
This oddball documentary of NY's infamous hotel offers a few insights, no room service.
For the full review, click here.

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Filed under: Movie Reviews
Tags: brief interviews with hideous men, bronson, capitalism a love story, chelsea on the rocks, coco before chanel, fame, surrogates

Short and Tweet - Brief Reviews for Movies Released September 18

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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 4-star-rating.gif
It's not Pixar, but it's almost as good. Surprising and all-around fun! 
For the full review, click here.

The Informant! 4-star-rating.gif
An uneven Soderbergh experiment, but often a wildly funny one led by a hysterical Matt Damon. 
For the full review, click here.

35 Shots of Rum 4-star-rating.gif
Father/daughter relationships are tough, but Claire Denis avoids cliche in this tender film. 
For the full review, click here.

Paris 3-5-star-rating.gif
Not your typical French tryst, this ode to Paris (warts and all) lays bare the city's citizens.
For the full review, click here.

Bright Star 3-5-star-rating.gif
Jane Campion's look at John Keats' aborted life is vibrant and full of passion. 
For the full review, click here.

Jennifer's Body 2-star-rating.gif
While short of horrible, this Megan Fox monstrosity is far too stilted to by scary.
For the full review, click here.

The Burning Plain 1-5-star-rating.gif
Sentimental pap packs in lots of stories (Babel-style), none worth remembering.
For the full review, click here.

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Filed under: Movie Reviews
Tags: 35 shots of rum, bright star, cloudy with a chance of meatballs, jennifer's body, paris, the burning plain, the informant

« November 15, 2009 - November 21, 2009