Renee Zellweger is back as novelist Helen Fielding’s hugely popular character in “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.” It is the sequel to 2001’s worldwide smash comedy “Bridget Jones‚ Diary.” And, although it is not quite as funny or believable as the first movie, the lovable Ms. Jones just squeaks by on her own (and […]
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Before the advent of tourism as industry, traveling was more than ready-made resorts, staged photos and crutch Lonely Planet guides. “The Motorcycle Diaries” explores the age-old soul of travel—travel as means to find yourself. (Ironic, then, that the film proposes the idea that traveling and experiencing the world firsthand enriches the soul, and to get […]
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The horror movie hasn’t been really scary for quite some time now. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Kevin Williamson-penned modern slasher send-ups like “Scream”, so lately, movies like the awful “Cabin Fever” and that lame “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” re-imagining have had to suffice. The newest trend of re-making Japanese horror flicks that weren’t that […]
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Slumped on the floor of an elevator with his arch nemesis, Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) has reached a higher level of peace with himself. It has been a rough last couple of days. He’s been deliberately and repeatedly hit in the face by a big red punching ball. He’s been dunked in a puddle of […]
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Midway through “Friday Night Lights”, worn out Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) tells his struggling quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas Black) that there hasn’t been much difference in the way he feels lately, no matter whether he’s just won or lost a game. It’s the defining moment of the film, and it sets a surprisingly […]
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This will be a tricky one. The one thing I really hate about your average movie review is the plot summary. I enjoy reading the opinions, but I detest having to wade through the section where the reviewer inevitably gives away entirely too much of the story for me to properly enjoy the film. On […]
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Modern romantic comedies can be a tricky formula that trip up the best of movie directors (see Kevin Smith’s “Jersey Girl”). And, unless your name is Ron Shelton (“Bull Durham”, “Tin Cup,” “White Men Can’t Jump”), then the underdog sports story turns out to be the most formula of formula films. Put these two old […]
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In 1971, Francis Ford Coppola’s newly minted American Zoetrope company released “THX 1138,” the first feature film by a young writer/director named George Lucas. It disappeared from theaters quickly with little fanfare, receiving a disappointing and chilly reception from both audiences and critics. Thirty-three years later, Lucas is a cinematic legend and household name, thanks […]
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Martial arts films have experienced somewhat of a rebirth lately, with films like Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” series leading the way. For this formerly cult-status genre to reach a mainstream audience, however, a compelling story must match with dazzling visuals. It’s time to add another film to that […]
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Somewhere deep down in the dark heart of director E. Elias Merighe’s newest offering, “Suspect Zero,” there is a film that teases its audience with a bit of misdirection and then offers a glimpse into an inner resource that each one of us may have the potential to tap into. If only those ideas could […]
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In the ads for the new ultra-realistic low budget thriller “Open Water,” two quotes are being used more often than any others. “The best shark movie since ‘Jaws’!” -Brian Raftery, GQ “Prepare to jump out of your skin.” -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone After reading these excited endorsements (and after seeing the non-scary “Exorcist” prequel just […]
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Any movie bold enough to have a title like “Exorcist: The Beginning,” has a whole lot of hype to live up to. As far as terrifying movies go, the bar has been raised pretty high. Then again, maybe we’ve come to expect crappy sequels from classic scary films. Just look at “Jaws 3-D.” “Exorcist:The Beginning,” […]
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Sometimes the Hollywood studios make life a whole lot easier for us movie reviewers. When your silly little road-trip-down-the-river comedy, directed by the man who helmed “Little Nicky” and “Mr. Deeds” no less, is called “Without a Paddle,” it just makes things way too easy. But this trifle of a film is so mild and […]
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M. Night Shyamalan is the spiritual P.T. Barnum of the film community. Like the famed circus entertainer, he is terrifically skilled at manipulating an audience’s feelings. Writer/director Shyamalan knows what an audience expects from his movies (“The Sixth Sense”, “Unbreakable”, “Signs”), and has the uncanny ability to deliver just that. His latest film, “The Village,” […]
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WARNING:SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE OR DON’T CARE ABOUT SPOILED PLOT POINTS!!! Until yesterday, the only time I had seen the most-rented movie in America of 2003, the Matt Damon spy thriller “The Bourne Identity”, was during its theatrical release in the summer of 2002. Knowing that […]
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