Showing Tag: " ti" (Show all posts)

REVIEW: Whether X-Men or Four Horsemen, Apocalypse's Children Unleash Their Power To No Avail

Posted by James Brown on Friday, May 27, 2016, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
X-Men: Apocalypse





Directed By: Bryan Singer

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Alexandra Shipp

I'm starting to think that the final installment in X-Men trilogies is cursed because the third time is apparently not the charm for Fox's prequel trilogy.  Some ten years ago on Memorial Day weekend, I saw X-Men: The Last Stand.  At the time, I t...

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REVIEW: Theoretically, Pops & the Exiles of Time in Terminator Genisys Are Old, Not Obsolete

Posted by James Brown on Thursday, July 2, 2015, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Terminator Genisys





Directed By: Alan Taylor

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Lee Byung-hun, and J. K. Simmons

"Follow a straight line and don't look back.”
-Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke)

I recently read an article on Entertainment Weekly's website about the decline of the American actor.  The article espouses that, after generations of heavyweights like Brando, Nicholson, Streep, and Pacino, there's no one picking up the mantle.  The problem is pretty a...
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REVIEW: With Lougle's Nitrotrinadium, Choozy Doozy & the Webber Strut, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Makes Cyclical Time Travel to 2025 Unbearable

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 21, 2015, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 
Hot Tub Time Machine 2





Directed By: Steve Pink

Starring: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Adam Scott, and Chevy Chase

I was a fan of the original Hot Tub Time Machine some five years ago.  It wasn't the greatest comedy I've had the pleasure of viewing, but it was thoroughly entertaining.  You simply can't go wrong making fun of the 80s.  That was the strength of the film.  Fast forward five years to the present, and we've now got a time travel sequel looking to mar the original.  Hot Tub...
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REVIEW: Before the World Ends at Lollapalooza, Project Almanac's David Raskin Will Build a Halfway Decent Time Machine for MIT

Posted by James Brown on Friday, January 30, 2015, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 
Project Almanac





Directed By: Dean Israelite

Starring: Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista, and Virginia Gardner

It's Super Bowl weekend!  That means it's time for me to win some money on the big game.  That also means that no one cares about the movies this weekend with the possible exception of diehard aficionados such as myself.  As fate would have it on one of the quietest weekends at the box office historically, 2015 is a bit of déjà vu.  Three years ago, we had...
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REVIEW: Lucy – A Somewhat Confusing Tale About What Happens When A Woman Uses 100% Of Her Brain

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, July 27, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Lucy
SoberFilmChick




Directed by:  Luc Besson

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked and Analeigh Tipton

As the credits flickered on the screen at the end of Lucy, the patrons in my theater sat stunned by the film’s abrupt end. They murmured in confusion trying to ascertain what had just happened.  I share their confusion.

In the film, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is studying abroad in Taiwan.  In the midst of her studies, she takes in the city’s nightlife.  She meet...

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REVIEW: In Edge of Tomorrow, Major William Cage & Angel of Verdun Rita Vrataski Lead UDF's Operation Downfall Against Omega & Its Mimics #LiveDieRepeat

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, June 7, 2014, In : 0.03% Wine Coolers 
Edge of Tomorrow





Directed By: Doug Liman

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, and Brendan Gleeson

"Battle’s the great redeemer.  A fiery crucible in which the only true heroes are forged."
-Master Sergeant Farrell Bartolome (Bill Paxton)

The age of movie stardom may be long dead, but Tom Cruise's career on the big screen is quite far from it.  After a career full of ups and downs in this risky business, the timeless actor still remains willing to take a gamble at the box office.  Whil...
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REVIEW: Best Man Down – Lumpy’s Secret Life Is Uncovered In This Comedy Drama

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Sunday, January 26, 2014, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Best Man Down
SoberFilmChick




Directed by: Ted Koland

Starring: Justin Long, Jess Weixler, Tyler Labine, Addison Timlin, Shelley Long, and Frances O’Connor

Happy belated New Year movie lovers!  I am delighted to return to the movie review scene after a brief holiday hiatus.  My first review of 2014 is Justin Long’s indie flick Best Man Down.  Although billed as a dark comedy, this uneven film is at times touching, but never humorous.

Scott (Long) and Kristin (Jess Weixler) are having the time o...
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REVIEW: If We Had Wings, The Coens & Their Cat Ulysses Would Take Us Soaring From the Gaslight Cafe With Some Soulful Folk Songs in Inside Llewyn Davis

Posted by James Brown on Friday, December 20, 2013, In : 0.00% Water 
Inside Llewyn Davis





Directed By: Joel & Ethan Coen

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, and Justin Timberlake

As I conclude another year of running STMR, I've begun reflecting on all the movies I've seen and the hundreds of reviews I've written during the 2+ years since the site was founded.  After doing so, I can say one thing with the utmost confidence.  I have absolutely no idea what movies I'll end up loving.  With the holiday mass of films starting to crowd ...
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REVIEW: In Free Birds, the Pardoned Great Turkey Would Seriously Like Us to Eat Pizza for Thanksgiving

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, November 2, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 
Free Birds





Directed By: Jimmy Hayward

Starring: Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Amy Poehler

It's the holiday movie season, which means we're going to get some great blockbusters, the next batch of awards contenders, and some horrible seasonally-themed family flicks.  This weekend, we're getting a little bit of everything.  We've possibly got the next big sci-fi series with Ender's Game.  We've got the steamy film that took top honors at Cannes earlier this year, Blue is the Warmest Color.  We'...
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REVIEW: Runner Runner – Richie Furst Fails in This Online Gambling Drama, #nodisrespecttobenaffleck

Posted by SoberFilmChick on Saturday, October 5, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 
Runner Runner
SoberFilmChick




Directed by: Brad Furman

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie, and Ben Affleck
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I knew that Runner Runner was going to be a bad movie.  I am not a part of the “I hate Ben Affleck” fan club.  To the contrary, Affleck has had some great films: Good Will Hunting, Dogma, Argo, and The Town to name a few.  I did not join the countless fanatics that practically shut down Twitter when Affleck was cast as the new Batman.  I think he is a radically d...
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REVIEW: Cool Technology Like 3DPS and the Accura Phone Can't Make Up for a Lack of Thrills in Corporate Thriller Paranoia

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, August 17, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 
Paranoia





Directed By: Robert Luketic

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Amber Heard, Harrison Ford, Lucas Till, Embeth Davidtz, Julian McMahon, Josh Holloway, and Richard Dreyfuss

Corporate life is something that sounds cool on paper but is insanely difficult to make interesting on the big screen.  Sure, rivalries in the workplace exist.  People often face complex real-world challenges, and there are those who cheat to get ahead.  Nonetheless, the vast majority of any white collar worker's ...
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REVIEW: With Vacuum Cleaners Partying, Erica Ash Ghettoizing Black Swan, and Morgan Freeman Narrating, Scary Movie 5 is Just Plain Weird

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, April 13, 2013, In : 0.12% Hard Liquor 
Scary Movie 5





Directed By: Malcolm D. Lee

Starring: Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex, Erica Ash, Molly Shannon, Heather Locklear, J.P. Manoux, Jerry O'Connell, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, and Morgan Freeman

How many times have you gone to an R-rated film and been appalled to see parents bringing their kids to the theater?  I've honestly lost count at this point.  Whether it be some violent, bloody horror flick or the latest rude and crude comedy, we've all sadly been there.  It's needless to say that...
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REVIEW: Whether Sandy Bigelow Patterson or Dawn Budgie, Melissa McCarthy is One Funny Identity Thief

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 9, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 

Identity Thief





Directed By: Seth Gordon

Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, T.I., Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet

Since the massive success of Bridesmaids some two years ago, Melissa McCarthy's career has been on the rise.  Her show Mike & Molly continues to be a hit on CBS.  She's scheduled to headline several comedies this year at the box office.  She's even rumored to be appearing in The Hangover Part III (whi...
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REVIEW: For Stand Up Guys Pacino, Walken, and Arkin, It's Time to Kick Ass or Chew Gum?! Seriously?

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 2, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 

Stand Up Guys





Directed By: Fisher Stevens

Starring: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Julianna Margulies, Mark Margolis, Katheryn Winnick, Vanessa Ferlito, Addison Timlin, and Lucy Punch

Al Pacino is my favorite actor in all of film history.  He is the consummate performer on the big screen, the small screen, and stage.  If you say Pacino is in something, I'm watching whatever it is.  It doesn't matter whether he's playing Michael Corleone, Sonny Wortzik, or even Joe Paterno.  I'm d...
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REVIEW: Warm Bodies Exhumes the Zombie Movie Genre and Cures It with a Fresh, Funny Tale of Romance

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, February 2, 2013, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 

Warm Bodies





Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Cory Hardrict, and Analeigh Tipton

Zombie movies are misses more often than hits.  We get so many movies about these undead terrors that are as lifeless and mindless as the walking dead themselves.  With countless films in the genre, it's got to be terribly difficult to think outside the box and pull together a fresh, innovative story.  However, director Jonathan Levine...


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REVIEW: Trouble with the Curve Has a Little Trouble of Its Own...Moneyball

Posted by James Brown on Saturday, September 22, 2012, In : 0.06% Beer or Wine 

Trouble with the Curve





Directed By: Robert Lorenz

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, Matthew Lillard, and John Goodman

As most of you know by now, Clint Eastwood made some rather interesting remarks at the Republican National Convention several weeks ago to an empty chair in which an invisible Obama supposedly sat.  While I believe his comments were insulting to the presidency, I have a website to run, and I have to be able to separate the political activist from the scr...


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REVIEW: The Algebra of Love. With Too Many Doufi and Not Enough Playboy Operators, Damsels in Distress Doesn't Quite Get the Math Right

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, April 15, 2012, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Damsels in Distress





Directed By: Whit Stillman

Starring: Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, Analeigh Tipton, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Carrie MacLemore, Hugo Becker, and Ryan Metcalf

While I typically go to the movies to be swept away in some story or adventure, I occasionally learn something when at the theaters.  When I recently watched Whit Stillman's Damsels in Distress, I got an interesting lesson in ethics.  According to the girls in the film, one's morality and the size of his or her posterior are conn...
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REVIEW: Friends with Benefits Offers Few Benefits for Moviegoers

Posted by James Brown on Sunday, August 7, 2011, In : 0.09% Cocktails 
Friends with Benefits





Directed By: Will Gluck

Starring: Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis

The romantic comedies keep coming this summer.  Most of them lack originality and style.  Some even lack genuine romance or comedy.  Nowadays, they're just counter-programming to big blockbusters like Harry Potter and Transformers.  Will Gluck's Friends with Benefits is another one of these unoriginal, unfunny romantic comedies.  The romance between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis is there, but the laughs a...
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