The word “bunraku” refers to form of Japanese puppet theater where the puppeteers, usually dressed in black, are visible on stage. “Bunraku” the film combines elements of classic samurai and cowboy films and sets it in a gunless future that feels more like an alternate past. The aesthetic feels both unique and familiar. While it […]
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The slasher film ruled the horror genre from the release of “Halloween” in 1978 until Jason was sent to Hell in 1993. It had a brief resurgence, though, with the self-aware “Scream” trilogy and the films that followed in its wake. But true 80s-style horror has been the exception, rather than the rule. Enter writer/director […]
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Where the spooky Swedish film “Let the Right One In” was set (like John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s novel) in an economically depressed apartment complex in early-80s Stockholm, the American remake “Let Me In” paints a similarly bleak picture, taking place in dreary suburban Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1983. Writer/director Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”) goes further with […]
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As anyone who’s seen it can attest, 1987’s “Over The Top” is without a doubt the worst movie in Sylvester Stallone’s career–a career, mind you, that includes “Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot” and “Judge Dredd.” After the surprising success and critical acclaim of “Rocky” and the decision to turn the seemingly one-off story into […]
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Here’s my video review of Ben Affleck‘s “The Town” from KTKA-49. Like his directorial debut “Gone Baby Gone” from three years ago, Ben Affleck’s newest movie “The Town” is a crime drama set in his hometown of Boston. More specifically, the Charlestown neighborhood—which has more bank robberies per capita than any other place in the […]
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With the release of “I’m Still Here,” the mockumentary has officially come full circle. Actors have already played roles in documentary-style comedies (“This is Spinal Tap,” “Best in Show”), they’ve combined that format with real-life pranks (“Borat,” “Bruno”), and they’ve played fictional versions of themselves for laughs (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Extras”). This time the performance […]
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I must confess that when I first saw the trailer for “Easy A,” the literature nerd in me was thrilled. A teen comedy that takes on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”? So down. I didn’t expect much of the movie—by which I mean I went in with no expectations of greatness—and while I don’t think […]
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Today’s entry has the dubious honor of being the first movie I had to watch in two parts and in the process of doing so, I learned what element of a bad movie topples my threshold. I have seen worse movies during my run on Insomniac Movie Theater, but none of them so far were […]
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“Why are all your moves so smart and noble and I’m always the idiot piece of shit?” I have never played a serious game of poker in my entire life–hell, I don’t think I’ve ever really taken part in any poker game, serious or casual, either in the company of friends or among jaded professionals. […]
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Here is Eric’s KTKA-49 review of “The American” starring George Clooney. His print review of the movie is right here: Movie Review: The American
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“I don’t subscribe to the credo that there’s enough room for everyone to be successful. I think there are only a few spots available, and people like Dick Koosman and Bono are taking them up.” Can a film whose central characters are uniformly unlikable be dramatically compelling in their midst? Eric thought so in his […]
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Seeing Double is the Scene-Stealers series that celebrates the only thing better than watching one movie—watching two movies. We look for a more perfect cinematic union as we view and discuss a pair of movies chosen either for things they have in common or things they don’t. The films may be old or new, obscure […]
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