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Theatrical Movie Reviews
Categories in section: Theatrical Movie Reviews
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Editor's rating:
5.0
Thursday, 03 May 2012
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Written by
Daniel Hirshleifer
Thinking about it, it’s amazing The Avengers even exists. In 2008, the world was gearing up to have its collective mind blown by Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Nolan had taken Batman, and by extension the very idea of comic book movies, into a serious dramatic arena. What people didn’t expect is that Marvel Comics intended to go in an entirely different direction. At the end of the first Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. is now his defining role) stumbles home from the climactic fight to encounter a mysterious man with an eye-patch. Introducing himself as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., this man, impressively played by Samuel L. Jackson, then drops the words “Avengers Initiative.” And cut to black.Any comic fan will remember seeing that scene for the first time. It was just a small, thirty-second clip after ...
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Editor's rating:
3.0
Monday, 16 May 2011
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Written by
Daniel Hirshleifer
Jack Sparrow--sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow--is undeniably one of the best action characters to come out of the movies since Indiana Jones traded an idol for a whip. World renowned actor Johnny Depp plays Sparrow as a man out of his own head, and yet always in command of a situation, even when it feels like he isn't. Over the course of three movies, Depp has made Sparrow into one of the most recognizable figures in modern film. And yet, despite international fame and record box office numbers, critics and even fans were turned off by the last Pirates sequel (if not both of them). Too long, too complex, too many supporting characters. The criticisms are varied and often valid. To bring Sparrow back to the screen for a fourth time, Disney ditched previous director Gore Verbinski in favor of Rob Marshall (Chicago). But can ...
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Editor's rating:
0.5
Friday, 25 March 2011
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Written by
Daniel Hirshleifer
In Batman and Robin, the disastrous film that almost killed Batman, a lot of people criticized director Joel Schumacher's fetishization of the bat icons over basic storytelling elements such as character or dialogue. In particular, people pointed to the "bat nipples" on the costume as representative of everything that was wrong with Schumacher's vision. Sucker Punch, the latest film from Watchmen and 300 director Zack Snyder, is all bat nipples.Institutionalized by her abusive stepfather, Baby Doll (Emily Browning, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) discovers the only way she can fight back against the evil orderlies is to escape into a fantasy world inside her mind. She's joined in this endeavor by Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish, Limitless), her sister Rocket (Jena Malone, Donnie Darko), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical), and Amber (Jamie Chung, Sorority Row). They're guided in their fantasies by The Wise Man (Scott Glenn, The Silence of the Lambs) , ...
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Editor's rating:
2.0
Friday, 11 March 2011
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Written by
Daniel Hirshleifer
Over the course of my day job, I've seen the trailer for Mars Needs Moms more than I can count. It has generated a loathing within me that I cannot adequately describe. The general rule of thumb is that the trailer for a comedy will include all the funniest moments. It seems that with Mars Needs Moms, the decision was made to include only the most annoying parts in the trailer, because every line felt like it was piercing directly to the anger centers of my brain. Imagine my surprise when I saw the movie and found that it wasn't quite as unbearable as I had first assumed. However, "not always annoying" isn't the same as "good," and while Mars Needs Moms can sometimes rise to the level of the former, it never gets within shouting distance of the latter.Milo (Seth Green) is your typical ...
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Editor's rating:
4.0
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
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Written by
Daniel Hirshleifer
There's something uniquely American about the Coen brothers. Whether they're examining a man's personal breakdown in the midwest with A Serious Man, a kidnapping mystery in Fargo, a mob land war in Miller's Crossing, or two bowlers who just want their rug back, the Coens manage to put a spin on the story that makes it feel like a true American folk tale. Even their adaptation of The Odyssey is filtered through an old-time American lens in O Brother, Where Art Thou? And while they made something of a modern revisionist western with their Academy Award-winning No Country For Old Men, the duo have seen fit to return to the genre, this time with all the proper trappings, with a remake of the 1969 John Wayne film True Grit.The film opens as Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld in a brilliant performance) recounts the death of her father at the hands ...
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