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7/10
|
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
(2011)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The successful run of a franchise such as this is truly a rare feat in Hollywood. Take a bow, folks.
Posted Aug 03, 2011
|
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7/10
|
Source Code
(2011)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Duncan Jones's sophomore film, Source Code, is an assured second step into the realm of thoughtful science fiction.
Posted Aug 03, 2011
|
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5/10
|
The Adjustment Bureau
(2011)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Eventually the whole thing feels a little too silly to be able to take any of its inherent concerns meaningfully.
Posted Jul 26, 2011
|
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7/10
|
Rango
(2011)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Kudos to the director for making it as oddball as it could get away with.
Posted Jul 20, 2011
|
|
4/10
|
Red Riding Hood
(2011)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Like Twilight, makes the shallow desire to run away with a boy the heroine's main concern.
Posted Jul 15, 2011
|
|
8/10
|
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
One to absorb, to wonder at, and, perhaps most significantly, to give exposure to lines of thinking that one might not be familiar with.
Posted Jul 14, 2011
|
|
8/10
|
Another Year
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
[Observes] the thin lines and acute angles which separate well-adjusted people on a continuing path of contentment from the less fortunate ones who live lives of regret and desperation.
Posted Jun 17, 2011
|
|
6/10
|
Biutiful
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Even though this movie piles it on, I can see its positive values and the potential it would have to reach the hearts of its audience.
Posted Jun 16, 2011
|
|
5/10
|
The Green Hornet
(2011)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Derivative of several molds and unable to really take command of any of them.
Posted Jun 03, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Megamind
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Would be lost in the crowd, perhaps deservedly so, if it didn't pull aces on its execution.
Posted May 26, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Blue Valentine
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
From the movie's standpoint, [its story] is a common tragedy that deserves acknowledgment and pity, and it pulls absolutely no punches in sharing its view.
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
5/10
|
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The lead kids here have their charms, and while the film is functional it lacks distinction and a passionate sense of drive.
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
4/10
|
The Tourist
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Depp and Jolie together create a chemical black hole. They couldn't produce sparks with dry hair and a comb.
Posted May 03, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Animal Kingdom
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Michôd takes familiar material and approaches it with less emphasis on the sensational and more on the surreal atmosphere of accepted dread.
Posted Apr 08, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Fair Game
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
A drama about the cost of idealism and sticking to your guns in order to bring truth to the light.
Posted Apr 01, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
The Next Three Days
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Haggis somehow pulls off a delicate balancing act -- a gravity-bound fantasy scenario -- showing us John's desperate, dark, human need while playing out made-for-movie scenes.
Posted Mar 21, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Unstoppable
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Scott subdues his more stylized tendencies to deliver the kind of meat-and-potatoes action thriller that might very well be watched and enjoyed by the heroic blue collar characters in this movie.
Posted Mar 21, 2011
|
|
3/10
|
My Soul to Take
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Is it just possible that Craven fumbled the ball this time and gave us the equivalent of a fairly amateur teen horror flick?
Posted Mar 21, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Easy A
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
It does get by on lively energy, a creativity in its writing, and a star turn by Stone.
Posted Mar 21, 2011
|
|
8/10
|
The Illusionist
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
To give Tati his posthumous chance to express a very sad story may have been Chomet's only true course, and, to be honest, the film is beautifully, thoughtfully realized.
Posted Mar 16, 2011
|
|
6/10
|
Four Lions
(2009)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The comedy is as black as can be, both silly and sharp ... It just doesn't quite succeed in its Dr. Strangelove-inspired goal.
Posted Mar 08, 2011
|
|
8/10
|
White Material
(2009)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Vial is presented as a complex character who feels she's been backed against a wall, and on the one hand we can see where she's coming from, but on the other hand we might think she's just nuts.
Posted Mar 04, 2011
|
|
9/10
|
Marwencol
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Speaks to the addictiveness, the catharsis, the unpredictability, and the eternity of the creative process.
Posted Mar 04, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Sweetgrass
(2009)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The movie is decidedly no frills, and it both lives and dies by this strict adherence to its protocol.
Posted Mar 02, 2011
|
|
9/10
|
Vincere
(2009)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The events occur not to tell a narrative, but to illustrate an emotional progress.
Posted Mar 02, 2011
|
|
8/10
|
Fish Tank
(2009)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Reveals the incidental arrival of the first trickles of emerging maturity.
Posted Feb 28, 2011
|
|
8/10
|
Enter the Void
(2009)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The discipline on display here, to stick with concept and to execute it with consistency, is intense and considerable.
Posted Feb 14, 2011
|
|
3/10
|
Resident Evil: Afterlife
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The law of diminishing returns rears its ugly, ugly head with Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth movie in a series that is going absolutely nowhere.
Posted Feb 02, 2011
|
|
6/10
|
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Those who see [Gordon Gekko] as an antihero worthy of redemption might find this kinder, gentler Wall Street worth sitting through.
Posted Feb 02, 2011
|
|
6/10
|
Salt
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Salt's urgency drains as it goes ... Just enjoy watching Jolie roll through her stunts, then -- a good time can possibly still be had by all.
Posted Jan 25, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Despicable Me
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The main goal in Despicable Me is to tell this story with as little sap as possible, and on that it fares well.
Posted Jan 21, 2011
|
|
6/10
|
The Other Guys
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Not all of the gags pan out, but when they do they get more than a few chuckles.
Posted Jan 21, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Carlos
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
It's obviously not meant to be funny, but in a way it is.
Posted Jan 21, 2011
|
|
5/10
|
Knight and Day
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
An incidental romance punctuated with out-of-one's-element humor and computer-assisted chase sequences, wholly weightless.
Posted Jan 07, 2011
|
|
8/10
|
Waking Sleeping Beauty
(2009)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Carries the mystique of Walt Disney, whose animated features can be regarded as a genetic line with ups and downs as compellingly dramatic as the history of royal families.
Posted Jan 07, 2011
|
|
7/10
|
Freakonomics
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
A lighthearted plea to the audience to try to think outside the box when it comes to matters of causality.
Posted Jan 07, 2011
|
|
5/10
|
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Perhaps the most watchable entry in the Twilight series so far, it's still saddled with the most cipher-like heroine of all time.
Posted Dec 29, 2010
|
|
7/10
|
The King's Speech
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Gains its mileage from likable characters being played by fine actors, and ends up as another example of formula polished to a bright shine.
Posted Dec 29, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
Eat Pray Love
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
[Takes] itself too seriously, even while it contains all the trappings of one of the most lighthearted movie genres, the 'travel romance' or 'travel therapy' movie.
Posted Dec 29, 2010
|
|
8/10
|
Let Me In
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
What becomes apparent is how well the story stands up, and how it still wreaks havoc with our moral compasses.
Posted Dec 29, 2010
|
|
6/10
|
Waiting for Superman
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
I'd suggest watching the movie just to be able to get a picture of what's going on in your head, and then following up with further research afterwards.
Posted Dec 29, 2010
|
|
6/10
|
Tron: Legacy
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
A minor guilty pleasure for me because the film really has very little to offer outside of shallow pleasures.
Posted Dec 21, 2010
|
|
7/10
|
The Fighter
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
A well-made movie, one I enjoyed overall, but it may be unfortunate that, while I watched this movie, I happened to find myself particularly vulnerable to formula fatigue.
Posted Dec 21, 2010
|
|
7/10
|
The Town
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
The movie's thrills are old-fashioned and assured.
Posted Dec 17, 2010
|
|
6/10
|
Shrek Forever After
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Reveals an urge by the filmmakers to wipe the slate clean, as large an admission that the series is out of ideas as one could get. That said, all involved do try to make the most of it.
Posted Dec 17, 2010
|
|
7/10
|
Hereafter
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Eastwood effectively taps into a well of our common feelings -- fear of death, the numbing shock of being aware of our mortality, and, most largely, the desperate need for closure.
Posted Dec 17, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Had everything it needed to be unique, but instead it emerges as unmemorable and run-of-the-mill.
Posted Dec 16, 2010
|
|
7/10
|
127 Hours
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Never really loses that feeling that it's mostly made up of dressing around a harrowing circumstance. But I will admit once you're comfortable with it being what it is, it's effective.
Posted Dec 09, 2010
|
|
4/10
|
The Last Airbender
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
As far as children's entertainment goes (and it is children's entertainment), it could be a lot worse.
Posted Dec 07, 2010
|
|
9/10
|
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
(2010)
|
Jeffrey Chen
|
Yates has been building his version of this world for two movies now, and he rightfully doesn't let up.
Posted Dec 02, 2010
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