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Some great acting and more than a little visual excitement make Dead Man Down a richly entertaining action thriller. Overcooked dialog and an undernourished plot make it more than a little disappointing. The reunion of Noomi Rapace – the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – with her direc…
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Must-see: the great Dominic Cooper
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Spectacular calamity followed by impressive vengeance makes Olympus Has Fallen an amply satisfying cinematic experience. So what if it’s jingoism. It’s extremely well executed jingoism, by jingo! Patriotic action-movie fans – like me – happen to like this sort of button-pushing entertainment…
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Stunts and FX make the movie.
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The stars are the thing in Hobbs & Shaw, an amiably over-the-top ultra-action comedy that’s more charismatic than funny. The Rock, Jason Statham, Idris Elba and Dame Helen Mirren don’t come cheap. Good thing they’re worthy of the millions they received, since the script is third rate at best. … |
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Vengeance isn’t original. Hell, it’s the eighth movie titled Vengeance. Nor is it LOL funny, other than maybe that bit about Texas football. But it is interesting and of-the-moment and almost kind-hearted. That’s enough to make an expensive trip to the multiplex worthwhile. B. J. Novak’s pass… |
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Enron’s rise and fall gets reprised in this dolorous documentary. Unfortunately there’s little new here for those who followed the debacle when it went down. Worse, the narrative is marred by a blanket sense of sanctimonious disgust and the testimony of at least one disgraced antagonist, convic… |
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The legendary chef behind a Michelin Three Star sushi restaurant gets profiled in Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Indeed, Jiro Ono does dream of sushi, and has for most of his 85 years. Unfortunately his BioDoc is too subtle for its own good, even given its zen subject. It also focuses as much on Ji…
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Jiro's Dreamy Sushi
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The Intouchables clearly plays better in its native France than to we Americans. There it is a cultural sensation that bridges the divide between an immigrant underclass and wealthy patricians, the former living in bleak suburban projects, the latter in central Paris. Featuring big French sta…
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"You're going to buy that?!"
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Anybody seen a golden Hollywood crown? Tom Hanks lost his by directing, starring in and co-writing this disappointing dramedy. Notwithstanding Hanks having Hanks – the most likable leading man this side of Jimmy Stewart – and a resonant au courant theme, Larry Crowne barely rises to second ra…
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Hanks in a red shirt sells the movie.
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Starts out with a big splash (pun intended) of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Big waves, lots of confusion, and a tremendous amount of human suffering. If this weren’t billed as a true story, I would have dismissed what happened next as too circumstantial and fabricated. The movie quickly evol…
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This modestly intriguing drama – about a disconsolate frump who befriends a sympathetic illegal alien – never catches fire, ultimately falling prey to a thin story, foolish outrage about a supposed injustice, and an insufficiently charismatic cast. The movie’s highpoint – a joyful celebration …
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Fleeting joy in this downbeat movie.
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