There’s a cameo in “Ocean’s Twelve” where Topher Grace plays himself as a bratty, self-important actor apologizing to Brad Pitt for trashing his property after an all-nighter. In reference to “In Good Company,” he tells Pitt, “I totally phoned in that Dennis Quaid movie.” The real joke, however, is that that Dennis Quaid movie is […]
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I have seen all but one of the scheduled biopics that are opening for this year’s winter Oscar rush, but I have serious doubts that there will be a more engaging and exciting biography this year than The Aviator, Martin Scorsese’s breathless take on Howard Hughes’ glory years. Like Jamie Foxx in Ray, it features […]
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Thanks to the success of recent musicals like 2001 Best Picture nominee “Moulin Rouge” and 2002 Best Picture winner “Chicago,” more have been making their way to the big screen. However, the latest big-budget extravaganza, a new film adaptation of “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera,” won’t be winning any Oscar kudos come […]
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Flor, a proud and attractive Mexican woman who speaks no English, moves to the United States with her daughter in search of a better life and ends up working for an upper-class Los Angeles family made up of oddball characters. The premise sounds like a bad sitcom pilot, but with writer/director James L. Brooks at […]
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As soon as the nasal and wholly inappropriate voice of Ryan Reynolds (“National Lampoon’s Van Wilder”) as Hannibal King opened the newest installment in the “Blade” series, I sensed that this would be a different kind of movie than its two bloody fun predecessors. And, boy, was I right. “Blade: Trinity” is all the bloody, […]
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Writer/director Alexander Payne and his collaborator/co-writer Jim Taylor got no less an acting legend than Jack Nicholson to move to Omaha, Nebraska for over a month to shoot his last foray into low-key character examinations, 2002’s Oscar-nominated “About Schmidt.” Before that, he revitalized Matthew Broderick’s career and made a star out of a budding young […]
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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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