Posts Tagged ‘reviews’
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Review: Safe House
Safe House finds a young and inexperienced CIA operative (Ryan Reynolds) caught up in a situation where he must protect a dangerous fugitive in his custody (Denzel Washington) from those who are actively trying to kidnap him. Though it does avoid the "bonding" that might be expected that also leaves the characters feeling underdeveloped and detached while the conspiracy angle driving the events is ultimately predictable. (more…)...
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Review: Chronicle
Though widely described as a found-footage film Chronicle instead takes on its name as one of three high schoolers who receive mysterious powers record the events that take place throughout. The movie takes on a point-of-view framing rather than becoming about a later discovery as the viewer goes along for the ride that culminates in a surprisingly dark and destructive conclusion. (more…)...
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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Review
Dormant since the third entry in the series arrived in 2006 - that one helmed by J.J. Abrams garnered good audience and critical response - Mission: Impossible returns and with rookie live-action director Brad Bird of Pixar fame. What materializes is arguably the best of the franchise delivering some tremendous action sequences coupled with a credible story that elevates it beyond just being a series of incredibly impressive set pieces. (more…)...
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Review: Real Steel
Real Steel will likely be described by many as "Rocky with robots" and that isn't too far off from the central themes that drive the emotions and plot developments. What the film does really well though is balance a family dynamic with the robot boxing action - blending the typical inspirational sports story with a futuristic scenario and relatable characters. It's brilliantly handled and leads to some of the most crowd-pleasing moments I've ever experienced in theater - creating the disctin...
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Review: Moneyball
Moneyball is based on the true story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane and the revolutionary way he began to make personnel decisions in 2002. Adapted from the novel written by Michael Lewis, who also penned the highest grossing sports-themed movie of all time with The Blind Side, it has all the elements of a big hit except it is less reliant on making a powerful emotional attachment. Instead it trades that for a general theme of touting the underdogs and a reliance on statistics an...
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Review: Warrior
Despite MMA's rising prominence it has generally been treated as an "underground" sport in films. That changes with Warrior, a movie that takes the familiar inspirational sports story with family conflict and intertwines that with an MMA tournament that carries large significance for the main characters. The fight action is authentic - though obviously some moments and results were played up for dramatic purposes - and in doing so it presents the sport in a legitimate fashion and one that tr...
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Review: Contagion
An alarming  portrayal of a viral outbreak and its fallout Contagion is essentially a real life horror story - one that very well could prompt concern of a scenario that is unfortunately not far fetched. A fast spreading disease appears out of no where making its way through the population and the movie follows a handful of characters and their different perspectives and circumstances. Expertly orchestrated by director Steven Soderbergh Contagion feels a lot like like an independent...
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Review: 30 Minutes or Less
30 Minutes or Less takes a more comedic approach to a scenario that tragically took place in 2003 when a pizza delivery man claimed he was abducted and forced to rob a bank while strapped with a bomb that exploded killing him. Though the producers claim there is no connection to that story it is tough to ignore the similarities. Surprisingly however the film doesn't treat the situation itself as a laughing matter. While the character interactions are often funny the underlying severity of th...
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