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‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’ Produces Laughs, Provokes Reflection
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Independent, Comedy, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews,
If you're a fan of Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman and the quirky and often dry humor the series offers, you will enjoy Offerman's latest film endeavor, Somebody Up There Likes Me.
Written and directed by Bob Byington (Harmony and Me) with Offerman producing, Somebody Up There Likes Me delivers in plenty of laughs while holding up a mirror to the perpetual disaffected teens of today. The film follows Max (Keith Poulson) - an indifferent waiter at a steakhouse whose only friend is the delightfully sardonic Sal (Offerman) - whose life is a kiddie rollercoaster of troubled relationships coupled with a general lack of interest in life.
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Joaquin Phoenix’s I’m Still Here: The Reviews Are In
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Magnolia, Documentary, Satire, Celebrity Gossip, New Releases,
So, remember when Joaquin Phoenix freaked out, quit acting and made an @$$ of himself on Late Night with David Letterman? Well, the documentary he was filming during that time (I’m Still Here: The Lost Years of Joaquin Phoenix) has been picked up, distributed and released…and the critics have already had their way with it. Ready to hear what the experts have to say?
E! Online calls the film an “alleged documentary,” saying it is “either a nightmarish depiction of a mid-meltdown narcissist, or a brilliantly deadpan put-on to make the late Andy Kaufman proud and Sacha Baron Cohen jealous.” While that sounds like something of an insult, the review goes on to call the flick “frequently hilarious,” which is far from all bad.
Whatever else the film may be, E! did not seem to take it too seriously, praising actors who appear in the film that were “in on the joke,” and Joaquin Phoenix for pulling off the “act.”
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Read More | E! Online
Early Reviews for Iron Man 2
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Science Fiction, Sequels, Upcoming Releases,
While most have you probably decided months ago what you’ll be doing on May 7, there are some who may still be on the fence.
Should you be buying tickets to Iron Man 2 in advance? Or will the movie disappoint like many other blockbuster sequels out there? Here are some of the early reviews:
Hollywood Reporter: “Everything fun and terrific about Iron Man, a mere two years ago, has vanished with its sequel. In its place, Iron Man 2 has substituted noise, confusion, multiple villains, irrelevant stunts and misguided story lines. A film series that started out with critical and commercial success will have to settle for only the latter with this sequel.”
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Movie Review: Valentine’s Day
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Romance, Comedy, Box Office, New Releases, Trailers, Videos,
Predictably, Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day massacred its competition at the box office this weekend, grossing an estimated $52.4 million from Friday to Sunday. But does the all-star flick live up to its huge ensemble cast, banner director and shockingly high ticket sales? Let’s review.
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Read More | E! Online
Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Disney, Animation, Family, Comedy, DVD Reviews,
Monsters, Inc. is the fourth feature-length film put out by Pixar, and in our opinion, it’s the one that pretty much put a stamp on the company’s reputation for their superior work in combining great storytelling, well-thought out characters, and mind-blowing technology. Monsters, Inc. hit theaters in 2001, which happens to be the same year that Shrek made his big screen debut, but Monsters ended up grossing more in the end. Part of the allure was the way Pixar pioneered the CG-animation to a whole new level of realism. The textures of the skin, scales, and especially fur on the animals was something not yet seen, and any viewer was impressed. Now that the movie is available on Blu-ray, we get to enjoy those details all over again. Of course, our Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray review will be focused on much more than just the visuals, but we have to say, it’s hard not to notice. wanna know if Monsters, Inc. on Blu-ray is worth it? Read on.
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Up Blu-ray review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Disney, Adventure, Animation, Family, DVD Reviews,
This week, Pixar released their latest film, Up, on DVD and Blu-ray, and we’ve been going through all the content on the Blu-ray release over the past couple of weeks. We know that the movie did extremely well at the box office, and reviews for the actual movie were great - but how does the home release of Up hold, er, up? Hit that read link, and we’ll let you know our thoughts on one of the biggest home releases of the holiday season.
The Movie
As is typical with our Blu-ray and DVD reviews, we won’t actually be reviewing the movie itself in full, but we will say this: Up is another Pixar release that combines family fun and entertainment with some highly emotional storytelling, with a perfect balance. The movie easily beats a lot of the cruft that you see other Hollywood studios pumping out on a regular basis. You’ve got lovable characters in Carl Fredrickson, Russell, and Dug, with dialogue that’s funny for kids, with some lines specifically aimed at adults. The movie even features miscarriage and death, but with subtlety, so the kids don’t get confused. It’s definitely worth seeing.
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Antichrist Lacks Scares, Boasts Biblical Allegory
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: IFC Films, Foreign, Horror, Independent, Religious, Thrillers, Casting, New Releases, Trailers,
For a film whose trailer advertises a critic hailing it as “The most shocking film in the history of Cannes Film Festival,” you’ve at least got to wonder—if not for a mere moment—what a movie like that has to offer. While some remarkable trailers go on to pull back the curtains on so-so films (Where the Wild Things Are, anyone?), a plethora of descriptive words come to mind as I write about Antichrist and “so-so” is hardly one of them.
Opening on a handful of screens in the midst of Halloween season, Lars Von Trier’s latest achievement seemed the perfect pick for the indie lover (or at least those sick of the Saw franchise and/or already viewed Paranormal Activity, the little horror film that could). A fan of the ever-adroit Willem Dafoe and alluring French singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, I find myself drawn to limited casts (Hard Candy); with that, I cannot imagine that Von Trier’s history with Dogme 95 had little to do with this. There was also the slight fact that the director himself was clinically depressed during the writing and some of the production process. Here marks more of an appeal and effort to view the film—did Von Trier meet the challenge of a two-person cast?
Aside from the slight deceit of its “scary movie” marketing poised for shocks (i.e. the bombarding, sanguine title atop corpses intertwined with a tree on the film’s poster), I believe that Von Trier does just that.
Click to continue reading Antichrist Lacks Scares, Boasts Biblical Allegory
Movie Review: Star Trek (2009)
Posted by David Torres Categories: Paramount, Science Fiction,
Rating: *** 1/2 stars
(Warning: The following review contains some spoilers.)
The world of Star Trek in crisis! No, it’s not on the verge of dying due to the release of this film. Instead it’s on the verge of going in a whole new direction. In the 1980s, DC Comics published a mini-series entitled “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. If you are a comic book fan, you are aware of this series and know that it was written in order to say goodbye to DC’s old continuity and create an entirely new one. A new world was born. New stories were able to be told because the previous “universe” no longer existed. That is what has happened to the world of Star Trek.
In this film, there is a Romulan named Nero. Nero and his crew travel back in time and as a result create a new timeline. If you are a Trekker, I’m sure you remember the Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) episode entitled “Yesterdays Enterprise” in which the Enterprise C traveled into the future and created a new timeline. The timeline was later corrected and everything was back to normal, but that will not be the case here.
Star Trek as a franchise was certainly in a crisis prior to the release of this film. With the two previous Trek films received poorly by both fans and critics as well as the demise of the series “Enterprise” Star Trek looked dead. Many people felt that Star Trek should stay low for a while and maybe come back much later with an attempt at reviving the series. Paramount said no and went with J.J. Abrams and his crew and they have succeeded. This film was great. Tons of action; humor; heart breaking moments. I really enjoyed this film both as a fan of the franchise and as a movie on its own.
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FilmCrunch 067: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Premonition reviewed
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: MGM, New Line, Universal, Adaptation, Drama, Musicals, Period, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
In this episode of FilmCrunch, Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Hairspray, along with the DVD release of Premonition. Neil also hits us with a 60 second review of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. All that, plus your typical dose of hilarity, in this episode.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
FilmCrunch 066: Rescue Dawn, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Astronaut Farmer
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: MGM, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Period, Sequels, Comedy, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep are back with more FilmCrunch video goodness, this time focusing on the theatrical releases of Rescue Dawn and the DVD release of The Astronaut Farmer. Veronica also checks in with her review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This episode kicks off with Veronica and Neil naming what they chose as their most inspirational movies.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
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