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3.5/5
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V/H/S
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Undeniably uneven but considerably more spirited and ambitious than we've seen from Hollywood lately.
Posted Aug 30, 2012
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4/5
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Compliance
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Incredibly thorny issues of morality, responsibility, loyalty, trust and resentment are in play here.
Posted Aug 17, 2012
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5/5
|
Beasts of the Southern Wild
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
A feeling of genuine enthusiasm and ingenuity ... as if everyone involved was truly discovering the power and potential of filmmaking for the first time.
Posted Jun 22, 2012
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3.5/5
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Friends With Kids
(2011)
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Geoff Berkshire
|
Likeable and astute, Friends with Kids is a minor revelation in a genre currently starved for worthwhile entries.
Posted Feb 28, 2012
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3.5/5
|
The Secret World of Arrietty
(2010)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
It's a testament to the work of Studio Ghibli that the bighearted messages of films like Arrietty resonate as completely genuine.
Posted Feb 13, 2012
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3/5
|
This Means War
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
An agreeably dim-witted effort that coasts along on the charm of its stars.
Posted Feb 13, 2012
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3/5
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Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
How much you'll enjoy Billion Dollar Movie probably comes down to your tolerance for extreme gross out humor.
Posted Feb 12, 2012
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3.5/5
|
2012 Oscar Nominated Shorts - Animation
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Not quite up to the standard established in recent years ... still an enjoyably brisk bunch
Posted Feb 10, 2012
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2/5
|
The Vow
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Could've been an ideal vehicle to reteam McAdams with Gosling, but you won't find the actor anywhere near material this brain-dead and creatively stifling at this point in his career.
Posted Feb 09, 2012
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3.5/5
|
Chronicle
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Both a clever use of the found footage technique and a demonstration of its limitations.
Posted Feb 03, 2012
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2.5/5
|
Perfect Sense
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Ultimately too silly to truly captivate.
Posted Feb 03, 2012
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3.5/5
|
The Woman in Black
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
It'll take more than one movie for [Daniel Radcliffe] to shake off the Potter baggage, but a psychologically complex and emotionally nuanced turn like this is a good start.
Posted Feb 02, 2012
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3.5/5
|
The Invasion
(2007)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Even with its flaws The Invasion is still eerie, provocative and a solid showcase for Kidman.
Posted Jan 24, 2012
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3/5
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Joyful Noise
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
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There's a saving grace: whenever [Todd] Graff sets aside the plot and allows the music to take over, his movie truly sings.
Posted Jan 12, 2012
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2.5/5
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Contraband
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
A middling mix of drawn-out drama and underwhelming action that's never very fun or very smart.
Posted Jan 12, 2012
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1.5/5
|
The Devil Inside
(2012)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Far too cheap, familiar and flat-out dull to be frightening.
Posted Jan 06, 2012
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4/5
|
A Separation
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
While the specifics are rooted in Iranian culture, the broad strokes are entirely universal -- it's an intelligent, intriguing and inviting film.
Posted Dec 29, 2011
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3.5/5
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Pariah
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Despite a heroine who admirably follows her own path, the movie remains likable but familiar.
Posted Dec 29, 2011
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2.5/5
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In the Land of Blood and Honey
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Curiosity over how [Angelina] Jolie fares as a filmmaker will only go so far in establishing an audience for this solemn and punishing tragic romance.
Posted Dec 22, 2011
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3/5
|
The Adventures of Tintin
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
If you come to Tintin with preexisting affection for the franchise, it might be easier to ... overlook the dull plot, slow to develop characters and miscalculated humor
Posted Dec 20, 2011
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2.5/5
|
Albert Nobbs
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
All that passion behind the scenes doesn't really translate on screen.
Posted Dec 19, 2011
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|
3.5/5
|
War Horse
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Has just about everything you'd want from a Spielberg drama, except the narrative force and emotional power of the director's best work.
Posted Dec 19, 2011
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3/5
|
We Bought a Zoo
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
All emotional shortcuts and vaguely defined characters, held together more than it deserves by [Matt] Damon's admirable star turn.
Posted Dec 19, 2011
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3/5
|
Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Goes down easy enough and gets significant mileage from the high wattage interviewees.
Posted Dec 15, 2011
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4/5
|
Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Massively scaled and ingeniously executed, Ghost Protocol delivers the action goods in genuinely awe-inspiring fashion.
Posted Dec 14, 2011
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3/5
|
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
There's a relaxed confidence to this Holmes that was desperately missing the first time around.
Posted Dec 12, 2011
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2.5/5
|
The Sitter
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Doesn't stick around for long, but still manages to overstay its welcome.
Posted Dec 08, 2011
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|
2.5/5
|
Young Adult
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
What really sinks this disappointing reunion is a narrative as stunted as Mavis' emotional development.
Posted Dec 08, 2011
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4/5
|
We Need to Talk About Kevin
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Not technically a horror movie, but ... could easily qualify as one of the scariest films you'll ever see.
Posted Dec 07, 2011
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4/5
|
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
The dazzling spy games of Tinker, Tailor remain magnetic even at their most mysterious.
Posted Dec 07, 2011
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2/5
|
I Melt With You
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
They also talk about life, memories, problems, disappointments, and then do more drugs. Lots and lots of drugs.
Posted Dec 07, 2011
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3.5/5
|
Shame
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Simultaneously seductive and repulsive, qualities matched in [Michael] Fassbender's spectacular performance.
Posted Nov 30, 2011
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4.5/5
|
Hugo
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Just as sure as Hugo will make some viewers restless, it's also guaranteed to provide everyone who sees it with an astonishing array of dazzling sequences to remember forever.
Posted Nov 23, 2011
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3.5/5
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Rampart
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
[Woody] Harrelson is sensational in his strongest showcase role in years.
Posted Nov 23, 2011
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4/5
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A Dangerous Method
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
A kinky undercurrent of sadomasochism certainly doesn't hurt in preventing the film from slipping into the stodgy bio-pic abyss.
Posted Nov 23, 2011
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4/5
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Arthur Christmas
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Deftly blends the sophisticated sensibility of Aardman with the slick spectacle of American animation.
Posted Nov 22, 2011
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4/5
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The Muppets
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
You don't know what you've got till it's gone, and it turns out the movie world has been a lesser place without the Muppets.
Posted Nov 21, 2011
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3/5
|
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
As maddeningly uneven as it is, Breaking Dawn boasts some of the strongest moments yet in a largely lackluster franchise.
Posted Nov 17, 2011
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3/5
|
Happy Feet Two
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Duplicates many of the strengths of the original, without surpassing or even matching its originality and inspiration
Posted Nov 17, 2011
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2/5
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Another Happy Day
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Even if you can relate because you're unlucky enough to have a family like this, why would you want to watch a movie about it?
Posted Nov 17, 2011
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5/5
|
The Descendants
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
There are flashier directors working today, but Payne's position at the forefront of contemporary filmmaking comes from telling richly human stories filled with wit, insight and unique charm.
Posted Nov 15, 2011
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2/5
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Immortals
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
You'll want to frame [Tarsem's] work, not watch, listen to and experience it for nearly two hours.
Posted Nov 11, 2011
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3/5
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Into the Abyss
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Upfront in its opposition to the death penalty on moral grounds, but ... never strident or manipulative.
Posted Nov 10, 2011
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|
2.5/5
|
J. Edgar
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
May not be the sort of disingenuously heroic tale Hoover would've spun about himself, but it's too scattershot to feel entirely true -- or at least convincing.
Posted Nov 08, 2011
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1.5/5
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The Son of No One
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
The flashbacks to [Channing] Tatum's late '80s childhood are embarrassingly overwrought -- including some of the worst acting of [Al] Pacino's career.
Posted Nov 03, 2011
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|
2.5/5
|
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
The 'more of the same' mandate may satisfy fans of middling marijuana jokes, but can't really justify a third film that's visually ambitious but comedically burnt out.
Posted Nov 03, 2011
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|
2/5
|
Tower Heist
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
Flukes of timing aside, everything about the patently phony Tower Heist is all flash, no substance.
Posted Nov 03, 2011
|
|
2.5/5
|
Janie Jones
(2010)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
It isn't easy to make an indie movie these days, so it's dispiriting how many wind up exactly like Janie Jones
Posted Oct 27, 2011
|
|
3.5/5
|
In Time
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
That there are any ideas here to begin with marks enough of a victory for commercial filmmaking.
Posted Oct 27, 2011
|
|
2.5/5
|
Anonymous
(2011)
|
Geoff Berkshire
|
In trying to make a bio-pic of Shakespearean proportions, Anonymous can't help but look like a fraud.
Posted Oct 27, 2011
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