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The Last Samurai
(2003)
|
Anderson Jones
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Is a romance really necessary, no matter how ridiculous, just to prove the two male leads aren't in love with each other?
Posted Apr 26, 2022
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B+
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Face
(2002)
|
E! Staff
|
Bertha Bay-Sa Pan gets good performances -- notably from Ling, who convincingly evolves from mixed-up coed to successful businesswoman.
Posted Mar 13, 2021
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|
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Ant-Man and The Wasp
(2018)
|
John Boone
|
Like Ant-Man himself, wearing his heart on his sleeve, so earnest in wanting the best for those that he loves, Ant-Man and the Wasp just wants you to have a good time and leave a little happier than you came.
Posted Jan 27, 2020
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C
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Ghetto
(2002)
|
E! Staff
|
This would be thoroughly engrossing if the film itself weren't an example of the most tedious brand of documentary.
Posted Jan 29, 2019
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|
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Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
(2018)
|
Lauren Piester
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Final verdict: That was so great that we don't even care about how confused we sometimes were. Also, Hot Topic should merchandise the costumes.
Posted Apr 02, 2018
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B-
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Brothers in Arms
(2004)
|
E! Staff
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Serviceable, not high ranking.
Posted May 05, 2015
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|
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Tangled
(2010)
|
Dezhda Gaubert
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A thoroughly delightful, fast-paced tale about a young lady finding adventure and love.
Posted Dec 08, 2014
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|
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Game Change
(2012)
|
Natalie Finn
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We're no longer disappointed that Tina Fey didn't get the role that ended up going to Julianne Moore.
Posted Aug 03, 2012
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A-
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The Amazing Spider-Man
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Though the very idea of rebooting Spider-Man only five years after the last sequel enraged geeks everywhere, The Amazing Spider-Man is just that.
Posted Jul 03, 2012
|
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D+
|
Take This Waltz
(2011)
|
Matt Stevens
|
Dramatically inert and languidly paced, Waltz stumbles all over its arty-indie pretensions.
Posted Jun 29, 2012
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B+
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Magic Mike
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Unlike Showgirls, the men are in on the joke, making all the Village People-inspired numbers hella fun.
Posted Jun 29, 2012
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B-
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Ted
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Ted is worth seeing, but it's not quite the water cooler flick it aspires to be. Or maybe it was months ago as a trailer.
Posted Jun 29, 2012
|
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C
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Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
(2012)
|
L. Thompson
|
It can be quite funny when they encounter crazies, but the earnest parts are a killer, and may elicit more groans than laughs overall.
Posted Jun 22, 2012
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B
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To Rome With Love
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
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A cannoli with an international cast, To Rome With Love is looser-and sillier-than Paris, but still a treat.
Posted Jun 21, 2012
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A-
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Brave
(2012)
|
Leslie Gornstein
|
This Pixar film may not boast the pitch-perfect storytelling of Ratatouille or Incredibles, but it has belly laughs aplenty and a story that'll resonate like a choir of bagpipes for generations to come.
Posted Jun 21, 2012
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B
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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
Hey, it doesn't suck.
Posted Jun 21, 2012
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A-
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That's My Boy
(2012)
|
L. Thompson
|
Adam Sandler just might have made the funniest movie of his career: a dysfunctional father-son comedy that also rather astutely comments on the public's perception of Sandler himself.
Posted Jun 15, 2012
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A-
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Rock of Ages
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Cruise's duet with Ackerman of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" opens the film up. From there Cruise never comes back to earth. He's incredible. You simply can't take your eyes off him.
Posted Jun 15, 2012
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C
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Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
(2011)
|
Matt Stevens
|
Kind of a drag, man.
Posted Jun 07, 2012
|
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A-
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Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
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A funny, snappy script and thrilling action sequences make this European adventure a trip worth taking.
Posted Jun 07, 2012
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B+
|
Prometheus
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Hopefully, if Scott's previous ventures into the future are any indication, Prometheus will get better with repeat viewings.
Posted Jun 07, 2012
|
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C
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Bel Ami
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
Sure, vampiric Pattinson cuts a striking figure in French formalwear, but he lacks the charisma and dramatic weightiness to anchor this shaky adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's novel.
Posted Jun 07, 2012
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B-
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Snow White and the Huntsman
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
The costumes are wicked cool, the special effects impress, and the finale is sufficiently rousing, but the script takes no chances with characters that are all good or all bad.
Posted Jun 01, 2012
|
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C+
|
Chernobyl Diaries
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
The setting is genuinely creepy, but the last act emits low-level thrills.
Posted May 25, 2012
|
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B
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Men in Black 3
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Will Smith is funny, but Josh Brolin as young Agent K is so exceptional at mimicking the tight-lipped Tommy Lee Jones that he steals the show. If only the story had unforgettable moments. Or have we been neuralized?
Posted May 25, 2012
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A
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Moonrise Kingdom
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
The delightful Moonrise Kingdom marks a career high for offbeat auteur Wes Anderson.
Posted May 25, 2012
|
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B
|
Battleship
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Battleship is an alien invasion flick with too earnest dialogue and ear-splitting explosions. Yet, everything works: the special effects, the performances, the breakneck pace.
Posted May 18, 2012
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C
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What to Expect When You're Expecting
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
What to expect when you're watching: attractive actors playing unrealistic characters, sitcom-y storylines with predictable outcomes and a heavy-handed family-values message. In other words, warmed-over baby formula.
Posted May 17, 2012
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C
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The Dictator
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
The comedian's mix of politics and gross-out humor is funny, but the story is predictable and lacks bite.
Posted May 16, 2012
|
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B
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Dark Shadows
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
While the script is a mess and the finale underwhelms, if you still dig the Depp/Burton combo does it really matter?
Posted May 10, 2012
|
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A
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Marvel's the Avengers
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
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With snappy writing and a full roster of fleshed-out characters, the whole thing is a smash, from start to finish.
Posted May 02, 2012
|
|
C+
|
The Raven
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
Without narrative guts, this not-so-thrilling thriller proves a bloody disappointment.
Posted Apr 28, 2012
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B
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The Five-Year Engagement
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
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Segel's brand of unhinged mania is still funny. Rival couple Chris Pratt and Alison Brie are even funnier. And the dramatic stuff rings true.
Posted Apr 26, 2012
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A
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The Pirates! Band of Misfits
(2012)
|
Leslie Gornstein
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If you crave an animated adventure that isn't dumbed down, this is for you -- a pirate adventure in the spirit of Wallace and Gromit.
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
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B-
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Safe
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
This formulaic but entertaining action flick, about an ex-cop who guards an orphaned girl from gangsters, packs a punch with high-adrenaline stunts and shoot-'em-ups.
Posted Apr 26, 2012
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C
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The Lucky One
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
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Too bad the story lets the young stars down, relying way too much on the villainy of a small-town bully and enough miscommunication for a whole season of Three's Company.
Posted Apr 19, 2012
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B
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Chimpanzee
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
Your own wild tribe will be entertained by the feisty hero and his monkey shenanigans.
Posted Apr 19, 2012
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C
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Think Like a Man
(2012)
|
L. Thompson
|
The cheap production values, excessive length and lackadaisically paced editing ... kill what could have been a sharp comedy.
Posted Apr 19, 2012
|
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B-
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Lockout
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
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The tone of the whole endeavor shouldn't work as well as it does (who does one liners anymore?) but as they say casting is everything.
Posted Apr 13, 2012
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B
|
The Cabin in the Woods
(2011)
|
Matt Stevens
|
A twisty puzzle, as promised by the Rubic's Cube cabin on the film's poster, this blood feast has gore galore to satiate your thirst.
Posted Apr 13, 2012
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B-
|
The Three Stooges
(2012)
|
Leslie Gornstein
|
The guys anchoring the latest iteration of The Three Stooges make every bark and eye-poke look like second nature.
Posted Apr 12, 2012
|
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B-
|
American Reunion
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
The humor in American Reunion is still late-'90s raunch. Which, for the American Pie series, is exactly what it should be, right?
Posted Apr 05, 2012
|
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A-
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Titanic
(1997)
|
L. Thompson
|
Near, far, wherever you are sitting in the theater, the newly revamped Titanic now has stuff coming out at you.
Posted Apr 04, 2012
|
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C
|
Wrath of the Titans
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Mercifully short and only terribly mediocre.
Posted Mar 30, 2012
|
|
C+
|
Mirror Mirror
(2012)
|
Matt Stevens
|
Not the fairest of them all.
Posted Mar 30, 2012
|
|
A-
|
The Hunger Games
(2012)
|
Leslie Gornstein
|
Ross delivers the dystopian excitement in high style, mixing naturalistic action with retro-futuristic production design that is sure to draw Oscar honors.
Posted Mar 20, 2012
|
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B+
|
21 Jump Street
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are an inspired duo.
Posted Mar 16, 2012
|
|
A-
|
John Carter
(2012)
|
Luke Y. Thompson
|
There's material here to sustain a solid franchise if the demand is there.
Posted Mar 09, 2012
|
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B-
|
This Means War
(2012)
|
Peter Paras
|
Witherspoon is a delight and those new franchise guys (Pine with Trek 2, Hardy the upcoming Dark Knight sequel) make engaging frenemies.
Posted Feb 17, 2012
|
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B-
|
The Vow
(2012)
|
Luke Y. Thompson
|
Not everything in it works, but the lack of reliance on easy answers earns it enough credibility points for a passing grade.
Posted Feb 10, 2012
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