Gretchen Mol is ebullient and charming as “The Notorious Bettie Page” in an affectionate new biopic of the quintessential 1950s pin-up queen, directed by Mary Harron (“American Psycho,” “I Shot Andy Warhol”). If the real Bettie Page is as elusive and naïve as the film’s wandering screenplay would have us believe, then it’s a good […]
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Having fought atop the Statue of Liberty and inside the White House in the first two “X-Men” movies, it is fitting that the climactic battle scene of “X-Men: The Last Stand” takes place at another American landmark– Alcatraz. The legendary former prison serves not only as another iconic image for the series, but also as […]
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With its tense action, cliffhanger chapters, and simple prose, it has been written that Dan Brown’s obscenely popular bestselling novel “The Da Vinci Code” reads just like a movie. If that is the case, then somebody forgot to tell Oscar-winning director Ron Howard. On the printed page, Brown’s thin character development and penchant for unlikely […]
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Who: Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Kevin Dillon, Andre Braugher What: A remake of 1972’s “The Poseidon Adventure” Where: in your local multiplex When: this weekend Why: That’s the real question, isn’t it? Why did this movie get made? The obvious answer is that the film studio thought that audiences […]
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If “Poseidon” had been directed by Michael Bay it might have rocked. It would have had obscene explosions, sweet special effects, overt sentimentality and a campy sense of humor. Sadly, this remake of 1972’s “The Poseidon Adventure” was not directed by Bay, but instead by aqua-centric director Wolfgang Peterson (“Perfect Storm,” “Das Boot”) and it […]
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I’ve complained many times in recent reviews about Hollywood’s inability to make action-thrillers that are better than network television. With a slew of lackluster films like “Firewall,” “16 Blocks,” and “The Sentinel,” people have got to be hesitant to go all the way to the theater for less than their Wednesday night lineup. Well. we […]
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There are many ways for the modern movie villain to be menacing. The 80s featured juiced-up bad guys with maniacal stares (like Gary Busey in “Lethal Weapon”), and suave foreign operators named Hans (Alan Rickman in “Die Hard”). The 90s brought us steely-eyed serial killers like John Doe from “Seven” and the now-iconic Hannibal Lecter, […]
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From the film’s official web site: “United 93 intends to dignify the memory of those on that flight, the men and women whose sacrifice remains one of the most heroic legacies of the incomprehensible tragedies that unfolded on that autumn morning.” I’ve been toiling for three days trying to figure out how to write about […]
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For all the advance criticism that “United 93” has received for being a Hollywood version of our national tragedy on September 11, 2001, the actual film itself is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. British director Paul Greengrass helmed this gripping docudrama that mixes depictions of real-life events (with some of the […]
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Star ratings (or “rock fist” ratings!) suck. They accompany movie reviews for quick reference, so that actually reading the review isn’t necessary to know what the critic thought of the picture. “Did you see Melin’s review of ‘American Dreamz’?” “Yeah, he gave it two and a half stars; a minor rock fist up.” Some people […]
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Going into “The Sentinel” I thought to myself…this has the potential to be good. Michael Douglas produced the film so he obviously felt he was on to something. Keifer Sutherland is making a secret service agent movie on the heels of the uber successful “24,” a show which has brought him career-high credibility, so this […]
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In the world of folk music, Bob Dylan is frequently crowned as the artist who has made the biggest impact on the genre. Sure, Bob may have gotten Ringo high for the first time, subsequently bringing us “Rubber Soul,” and he freaked out a pile of feedback deprived hippies when he went electric, but what […]
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My friend JoJo was a debate champion. He still loves to boast of the verbal beatdowns that he delivered upon his lesser opponents, even reducing some of them to tears. “If you argue correctly, you’re never wrong.” JoJo didn’t say that, but he could have. That’s the kind of fatherly advice that big tobacco lobbyist […]
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“Lucky Number Slevin” is at the very least a clever crime caper. It comes complete with captivating and quirky performances and a story line that keeps you in the dark until the end, despite the transparency of the main character’s identity. Normally this sort of observation would be negative, but if you can show your […]
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First you hear the voice. It’s that weathered rasp you’ve heard before, delivered with the utmost gravitas. Even before the shot of the man’s legs ominously descending a large spiral staircase, you recognize the voice. It’s Morgan Freeman, and the speech he’s delivering must be really important, because it’s coming out slow and labored, staged […]
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