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2/5
|
Alice Through the Looking Glass
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
These movies just don't get Carroll at all, but most viewers don't mind.
Posted May 25, 2016
|
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4.5/5
|
The Lobster
(2015)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
The best romantic satire since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Posted May 24, 2016
|
|
4/5
|
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
Just as funny as the original and far more essential.
Posted May 20, 2016
|
|
4/5
|
The Nice Guys
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
You need to see The Nice Guys for, hands down, the greatest comedic performance of the year. It belongs to Ryan Gosling.
Posted May 20, 2016
|
|
2.5/5
|
Money Monster
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
Money Monster does get really dumb the further it goes on and the more it needs to end up at some neatly delivered conclusion.
Posted May 16, 2016
|
|
4/5
|
A Bigger Splash
(2015)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
Adults with brains also want some visceral entertainment sometimes, and this latest English-language feature from Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino does just the trick.
Posted May 16, 2016
|
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3.5/5
|
The Angry Birds Movie
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
It's not entirely mindless fun on the level of the game, but it is just simple, goofy entertainment.
Posted May 16, 2016
|
|
2/5
|
The Offering
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Tong manages to cobble together a nice image now and then, but most of The Offering is painfully ineffectual and makes for a tedious viewing experience.
Posted May 11, 2016
|
|
3/5
|
Mothers and Daughters
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
While Mothers and Daughters is not a great movie by any measure, for an ensemble feature tied to Mother's Day, it certainly could have been a lot worse.
Posted May 05, 2016
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|
2/5
|
Bite
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Bite is rife with unfulfilled potential. Even if all you want is to be grossed out, it doesn't push the envelope far enough and lacks the originality and sense of fun that could've made it a cult favorite.
Posted May 04, 2016
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|
2.5/5
|
Ratchet & Clank
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
The sort of movie where characters aren't so much developed as merely designed and then plainly labeled, defined solely by physical appearance and descriptive monikers.
Posted Apr 29, 2016
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|
C
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A Good Marriage
(2014)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Veteran actors Allen, Lapaglia and Stephen Lang add a level of gravitas that sells the material, countering the matter-of-fact direction from Peter Askin that lends the air of a made-for-TV movie. But they can do only so much with a story this listless.
Posted Apr 28, 2016
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3/5
|
Keanu
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
The contrast of the cutest creature ever seen against the bloody world of gangbangers is mostly clever juxtaposition.
Posted Apr 27, 2016
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|
1.5/5
|
Mother's Day
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
The kind of movie where even if you enjoy some of the trite humor you still believe that most of the actors on screen are too good to be there.
Posted Apr 27, 2016
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|
2.5/5
|
Holidays
(2016)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
It's a middle-of-the-road anthology but boasts great energy and a sense of humor that runs throughout, helping make even the mediocre entries watchable.
Posted Apr 27, 2016
|
|
2.5/5
|
Elvis & Nixon
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
It's clear the director, Liza Johnson, didn't have a good grip on whatever Elvis & Nixon is supposed to be, and perhaps she wasn't even sure herself.
Posted Apr 21, 2016
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|
3.5/5
|
Tale of Tales
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Tale of Tales has the epic scope and fantastic imagination to engender a childlike fascination in all of us.
Posted Apr 21, 2016
|
|
3/5
|
The Huntsman: Winter's War
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
If you like Frozen but wish it was more sexually suggestive, then The Huntsman: Winter's War is for you.
Posted Apr 21, 2016
|
|
4/5
|
10 Cloverfield Lane
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
If 10 Cloverfield Lane is to be considered a sequel, it's one that's even better than the original.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
2.5/5
|
Miracles From Heaven
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
It's far from the worst of its genre.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
1.5/5
|
The Bronze
(2015)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
Falling short in every way, The Bronze places last in the game of film comedy.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
2.5/5
|
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
Feels like a show that's been on the air for 14 years, and we're just tuning in randomly for a season finale, while at times it also feels like a show trapped in the past.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
4/5
|
Everybody Wants Some!!
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
You'll have as much fun deciding on a favorite bit of dialogue or scene as you do choosing a favorite character.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
4.5/5
|
Midnight Special
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
Very likely the best sci-fi movie of the year.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Boss
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
McCarthy puts on a good show, whether you prefer absurdly implausible slapstick or shocking insults or awkward and comically violent gags involving female anatomy.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
3.5/5
|
Criminal
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
The movie itself grows and develops a conscience and changes along with its main character, which is an amazing idea.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
2.5/5
|
The Jungle Book
(2016)
|
Christopher Campbell
|
A weird movie that wants for so much realism, including the most photorealistic CG talking animals we've ever seen, when there's nothing real about talking animals, period.
Posted Apr 19, 2016
|
|
3.5/5
|
Green Room
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Green Room is a gloriously grisly free-for-all, a redneck Diehard meets Straw Dogs with an old school exploitation aesthetic that sacrifices depth for demented thrills.
Posted Apr 13, 2016
|
|
1.5/5
|
Darling
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
For all its attempts to startle, the most startling thing about Darling is how off-target this promising director's third feature film is.
Posted Apr 07, 2016
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Invitation
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
A delightfully demented mystery.
Posted Apr 07, 2016
|
|
2.5/5
|
Pandemic
(2016)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Pandemic is best experienced with the tempered expectations of direct-to-video fare.
Posted Mar 31, 2016
|
|
3/5
|
Baskin
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
It's a testament to the power of Baskin's imagery and atmosphere (and the solid performances), then, that the shortcomings fall by the wayside for long stretches as we absorb this freaky world in which the protagonists find themselves.
Posted Mar 24, 2016
|
|
1-5
|
10 Cloverfield Lane
(2016)
|
John Rico
|
I couldn't help but see the very visible thread line where the original film ended and the new ending was tacked on to make it a Cloverfield film.
Posted Mar 13, 2016
|
|
1-5
|
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
(2016)
|
John Rico
|
As I was an infantry soldier in Afghanistan, the situational comedy related to Fey being in danger, or experiencing some mild hardship was just too slight. I kept wanting to say to the film, "Hell, that's nothing..."
Posted Mar 05, 2016
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|
1-5
|
London Has Fallen
(2016)
|
John Rico
|
London Has Fallen is simply the latest in the tradition of "Die Hard in a..." films. In this instance, it's Die Hard set in London. And that's it. The film doesn't have much else.
Posted Mar 05, 2016
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|
2/5
|
Ava's Possessions
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
It becomes increasingly serious, creating an awkward middle-of-the-road tone in which neither comedy nor horror delivers a punch.
Posted Mar 02, 2016
|
|
1-5
|
Deadpool
(2016)
|
John Rico
|
Complaints about the smallness of the film aside, it's also a helluva a lot of fun to see Deadpool in a hard 'R.'
Posted Feb 20, 2016
|
|
1/5
|
Cabin Fever
(2016)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Unlike many horror fans, I'm usually open to remakes, but Cabin Fever's humorless, overly reverential redo might set a new standard for pointlessness.
Posted Feb 18, 2016
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|
5/5
|
The Witch
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
The spooky stuff, of course, makes the journey all the sweeter, delivering what is, if not a terrifying experience, one that is at least thoroughly unnerving.
Posted Feb 18, 2016
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Pack
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
The attractiveness of the package and the steady pace at which it doles out the action more than make up for the character shortcomings in one of the best animals-run-amok horror movies in recent memory.
Posted Feb 12, 2016
|
|
2/5
|
Southbound
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Frankly, it's not even in the league of recent genre anthologies like A Christmas Horror Story and Tales of Halloween.
Posted Feb 04, 2016
|
|
2/5
|
The Forest
(2016)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Sara might be the victim on screen, but viewers forced to sit through her stupidity are the real victims in The Forest.
Posted Feb 01, 2016
|
|
1.5/5
|
Shut In
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
The film doesn't know if it wants to be an over-the-top, sensationalized shocker with cartoonishly evil villains... or a more realistic, gritty thriller with human characters, and the end result lies in a muddied, thrill-less, exasperating middle ground.
Posted Feb 01, 2016
|
|
2/5
|
Martyrs
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
While the end result isn't as disastrous as it could've been, it's predictably a more toothless effort that dulls the edges from start to finish.
Posted Feb 01, 2016
|
|
1-5
|
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
(2016)
|
John Rico
|
It leaves out the politics and lets us, the audience, get a vicarious thrill out transforming the worst day in someone's life into entertainment. Yes, American flags will flap in slow motion to a swelling musical score.
Posted Jan 15, 2016
|
|
3/5
|
Backcountry
(2014)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
MacDonald does a nice job of building up to an emotional finale that doesn't betray his dedication to brutal realism.
Posted Jan 03, 2016
|
|
3.5/5
|
Body
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
With a generic title and a unsensational storyline, Body might not be remembered as readily as some other films, but that doesn't mean it's not worthy of standing out.
Posted Dec 21, 2015
|
|
2/5
|
Krampus
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
Krampus is a toothless film on several levels.
Posted Dec 10, 2015
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Hallow
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
It can be a bit disorienting and some details might be missed, but it's hard not to get wrapped up in the story of a family trying to stick together and fight off invading forces.
Posted Nov 12, 2015
|
|
1.5/5
|
Condemned
(2015)
|
Mark H. Harris
|
[Condemned] could have the twisted appeal of Cabin Fever, but by eschewing any sort of realistic character development, it fails to build any of that film's delicious tension and paranoia, leaving it with gore and goo and little else.
Posted Nov 12, 2015
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