Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut “Whip It” is so overflowing with enthusiastic performances that it is impossible to watch it and not have a good time. Sure, you may notice an over-reliance on music montages to show the evolution of a budding teenage romance. You may also think you know where the movie is headed from […]
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From “Time Bandits” in 1981 to “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” in 1998, every movie Terry Gilliam made was marked by visual invention and a wickedly dark sense of humor that made him one of the most consistently fascinating filmmakers. Unfortunately, since “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” famously collapsed in 2000, Gilliam has […]
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The timing is right. The entire world is struggling to find its way out of a recession. Middle America is pissed off and broke. U.S. unemployment is soaring and the economic meltdown continues. So along comes the provocateur filmmaker who has spent the last 20 years raging against the machine, and he’s aiming at a […]
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With the exception of a few arthouse hits, the type of Japanese films that gain notoriety in America tend to lean towards the violent or random. Potentially a little bit “weird” for the art crowd, and a little too “art” for the weirdos, “Fish Story” (Fisshu sutôrî) is a breath of fresh air that deserves […]
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“Paranormal Activity” movie review Find out why Eric’s actual theater-going experience ruined the movie for him here. I try really hard to go into movies without prejudice. But with the advertising tactics being employed to push “Paranormal Activity,” I’ve found it very difficult to not be extremely skeptical. Take a look at the posters. They’re […]
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Fame is fleeting and, by itself, unsatisfying. So what are we to conclude about a group of kids chasing a dream, not of being a great singer, dancer, or musician, but only trying to grab the spotlight for themselves? “Fame,” the remake of the 1980 film, gives us a variety of characters from the meek […]
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Will Ferrell may have made a career out of playing caricatured man-child characters who don’t want to grow up, but the kind of sweetly stunted misfits who live in the real world (where you have to pay rent, get a job, and grow old) don’t quite look like Ferrell. In the Humboldt Park area of […]
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Eric and guest co-host Ryan Magnuson (The Sports Buddaye) review Matt Damon in the new Steven Soderbergh movie “The Informant!” which is at least partially based on the true story of an agri-business VP who got into some pretty hot water in the early 1990s. Soderbergh plays the movie for laughs and Damon put on […]
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I often dread going to see romantic comedies such as “Love Happens.” 1,000 times burned, 1,001 times shy. Romcoms are usually known for only their lack of originality, convoluted nature, and eagerness to play on overused themes. As it happens, “Love Happens” isn’t a bad film. In fact its a fair bit better than I […]
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Here’s what I learned from Jennifer’s Body. 1) Academy Award nominated screenwriters are just as good at writing mediocre horror flicks as everyone else. 2) People should really stop giving Æon Flux director Karyn Kusama work. 3) Asked to do some real acting, and without Michael Bay’s lascivious ogling lens, Megan Fox (who isn’t allowed […]
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If you are one of those moviegoers who needs simple, clear-cut reasons for the motivations behind your main character, then Steven Soderbergh’s rollicking big business satire “The Informant!” is not for you. The director has handled this kind of corporate whistle-blowing story before in “Erin Brockovich,” but this movie is another beast completely. With a […]
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Although “Whiteout” was slightly better than I expected, the film is nothing more than your basic thriller complete with a masked killer, a plucky detective with hidden scars, dangerous situations (most of which could be avoided the slightest hint of common sense), and a late plot twist which is far less surprising than it’s expected […]
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Adapted by creator Shane Acker from the short film of the same name, and produced by Tim Burton (who knows a thing or too about creepy and unconventional animated films), comes “9.” CGI animation in the style of stop-motion, Acker’s film is a breath of fresh air in both style and story. If you enjoyed […]
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Mike Judge returns to the everyday workplace as the setting for his new comedy “Extract,” but it’s hard not to wish for a more spirited take à la his 1999 cult hit “Office Space.” Even the broad comedy in “Extract” seems oddly muted—especially that of Ben Affleck, playing a stoner bartender named Dean who gives […]
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Ang Lee (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Lust, Caution,” “The Ice Storm”) has crafted some moving films over the years. He’s also responsible for a few which have missed the mark (“Hulk,” “Ride With the Devil”). Sadly, his latest is the later. In terms of recreating the scope and magnitude of Woodstock, the film succeeds, but […]
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