A-
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Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation
(2015)
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Bruce Bennett
|
Impossible to resist.
Posted Aug 07, 2015
|
A-
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Ant-Man
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Might be the biggest surprise of the summer.
Posted Jul 31, 2015
|
B-
|
Paper Towns
(2015)
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Bruce Bennett
|
Arriving so soon after the excellent 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,' it can't help but pale in comparison but that's not really fair.
Posted Jul 31, 2015
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B+
|
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
(2015)
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Bruce Bennett
|
For a film with a generally somber tone, the film is not a downer. Funny at times, uncomfortable at others, but definitely worth the journey.
Posted Jul 31, 2015
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B
|
Terminator Genisys
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Wisely utilizes the franchise's best feature - Ah-nold himself - in all the right ways to make the film entertaining if not entirely satisfying.
Posted Jul 10, 2015
|
B
|
Max
(2015)
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Bruce Bennett
|
A busy film crowded with serious subject material that rarely goes for cheap nods at sentimentality while still being a patriotic movie that has plenty of heartfelt moments.
Posted Jul 10, 2015
|
B
|
Jurassic World
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
A respectable Rex - unembarassingly nostalgic and freshly inspired.
Posted Jun 19, 2015
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B+
|
Spy
(2015)
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Bruce Bennett
|
The year's best comedy so far.
Posted Jun 19, 2015
|
A
|
Inside Out
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Gloriously fulfilling.
Posted Jun 19, 2015
|
B+
|
Aloha
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Hawaiian hot mess of a movie with an often unwieldy script, quickly gets under the skin and thanks to its A-list cast is inexplicably and undeniably endearing.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
B
|
San Andreas
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Preposterously effective special effects and almost tolerable storylines.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
B
|
Tomorrowland
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Director Brad Bird fills the movie with moments of brilliance, especially visually, but it falls apart in the final act and ends without a satisfying conclusion.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
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A-
|
Far From the Madding Crowd
(2015)
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Bruce Bennett
|
Those looking for a 'Downton Abbey' fix between seasons will love this gorgeous, new Victorian-era adaptation.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
B
|
Pitch Perfect 2
(2015)
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Bruce Bennett
|
Has its moments, most of them musical.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
A-
|
Mad Max: Fury Road
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Thunderously entertaining re-boot --a relentless action movie that avoids clutter while maintaining a visual ferocity and taking time for a few heartwarming detours.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
C+
|
Ex Machina
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Presents some interesting questions...but right when the film should be hitting us with some 'a-ha!' moments it swerves into voyeuristic contrivances.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
B+
|
Avengers: Age of Ultron
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
The previous film is arguably the best superhero film ever so there was nowhere for a sequel to go but down...Surely audiences know this, yet expectations were other-worldy.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
B
|
The Age of Adaline
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
An unassuming yet sweet-natured little film that parents can actually enjoy with their children, and these days that's a rare joy to behold.
Posted Jun 06, 2015
|
C-
|
Home
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
This failure is a little surprising given the celebrity voice talent involved, but it proves even great actors need a substantive script.
Posted Apr 28, 2015
|
B
|
Furious 7
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
To really enjoy these films, it is important to understand that at their core, they are comedies.
Posted Apr 28, 2015
|
C
|
Freetown
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
A compelling story with fascinating characters, undone by a script that does the opposite of what its real-life Liberian missionaries would do: it doesn't take any chances.
Posted Apr 28, 2015
|
B
|
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
It doesn't break new ground in any way, but it relishes Kevin James hitting it for our pleasure as many times as he can-and sometimes that's enough.
Posted Apr 28, 2015
|
A-
|
Cinderella
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Sumptuously appointed and elegantly well-acted, looks and feels magical and should delight even the most skeptical cynic.
Posted Mar 23, 2015
|
B
|
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
The audience for whom this sequel is targeted will enjoy the predictability of a well-executed sequel.
Posted Mar 23, 2015
|
C
|
The Lazarus Effect
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Very little life here.
Posted Mar 23, 2015
|
B+
|
Foxcatcher
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Dark, often unsettling material and the tone is ominous, almost suffocatingly so, from start to finish--but the performances are stellar.
Posted Mar 23, 2015
|
B
|
Black or White
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
More depth and clarity than expected.
Posted Mar 23, 2015
|
B-
|
Jupiter Ascending
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
An utterly gorgeous visual delight, and it has some enjoyably goofy moments, managing to throw in some left-leaning, anti-elitism socio-economic subtext for good measure.
Posted Mar 23, 2015
|
B+
|
Still Alice
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
The older you are, the more sensitive and receptive to the script's somber material you will likely be.
Posted Mar 23, 2015
|
C+
|
Project Almanac
(2015)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Boasts little imagination, but is perfect fodder for an adolescent sleepover and for a change, the adults aren't all idiots.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
A-
|
Paddington
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Proves that great children's films don't need to be childish, you will want to cuddle 'Paddington' all the way home.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
A-
|
American Sniper
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
We are likely going to need more, not fewer, soldiers like those depicted in this boldly contrarian Hollywood product of which we also need more.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
A
|
Selma
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Given the degree of difficulty of making such a film ring true in nearly all the right places, stands as a benchmark and is arguably the best film of 2014.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
A-
|
The Imitation Game
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
An enthralling spy thriller-turned-prestige bio pic that features a world-class performance by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
B
|
Unbroken
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Treads over familiar waters that still inspire and despite its flaws is a solid piece of work by its fledgling director.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
B+
|
Big Eyes
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
A little film with giant performances by Adams and Waltz.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
C+
|
Wild
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Little adventure or real catharsis in the rather bland, surprisingly superficial terrain.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
B+
|
Into the Woods
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Disney has taken great care to make a movie musical that honors the source material and what a joyful journey it is.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
B
|
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
A stirring and fitting conclusion of a memorable trilogy.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
B-
|
Exodus: Gods and Kings
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Has the scale and spectacle to effectively present the idea of the migration of a 400 thousand-strong nation, but not the spiritual conviction to explain why.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
B+
|
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Whatever the film 'Birdman' is this unsettling black comedy, might be the greatest comeback by an actor in film history.
Posted Mar 14, 2015
|
B
|
The Theory of Everything
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
It may be nitpicking to ask a film to fill in more of the difficult details in light of the care and concern given to the source material.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
B+
|
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Doesn't make us want to see more final films split into two parts, but it makes the decision to do so in this instance feel absolutely warranted.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
B
|
Dumb and Dumber To
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Relies on our memory of how good the original was but no one here embarrasses themselves - at least not involuntarily.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
A-
|
Interstellar
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
A graceful, stirring epic and while it may not set new standards for the genre, it does give today's audiences a reminder of what visionary filmmaking looks like.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
B+
|
Nightcrawler
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Stands apart from the crowd at the multiplex, a tight, absorbing thriller despite its rather murky messages.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
B
|
St. Vincent
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
The film, like Bill Murray's character, is a flawed crowd pleaser.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
B+
|
The Good Lie
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Benefits from Reece Witherspoon's understated performance. ..a gentle giant and beautifully restrained film.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
B+
|
The Book of Life
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
A visually wondrous animated concoction that crackles with energy and creativity... an enjoyably frenetic enchilada of a family film.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|
C+
|
The Boxtrolls
(2014)
|
Bruce Bennett
|
Kids may enjoy the stunning images of the impish underground creatures, a focus on the unlikeable villain will have young ones and their parents alike bored after 20 min.
Posted Dec 10, 2014
|