Tag Archives: USA

Review: Doctor Strange (USA 2016)

Posted on December 21, 2017 by David

Not to damn Doctor Strange with faint praise, but the film definitely reaches the upper echelons of Marvel movies, hitting that entertaining and workmanlike sweet spot while not quite ever achieving cinematic brilliance. Doctor Strange is, as has been widely … Continue reading →

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Trick ‘R Treat (USA/Canada 2007)

Posted on October 31, 2017 by David

Trick ‘R Treat is a interesting recent take on the ’60s and ’80s phenomenon of the horror anthology film with some good points to recommend it.  I enjoyed the novelty of an anthology that carefully weaved the threads of its … Continue reading →

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Review: The Rift (aka Endless Descent) (Spain/USA 1990)

Posted on October 31, 2017 by David

I was poking around in Amazon Prime the other day when I came across a movie I’d never heard of, The Rift. Cause for excitement? Not necessarily, low budget underwater monster flicks are not uncommon, and rarely entertaining enough to … Continue reading →

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Review:  Atomic Blonde (USA 2017)

Posted on August 1, 2017 by David

A hard-R gender-flipped Bond film pretending it’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Atomic Blonde is one of the clearest cut cases of style over substance I’ve seen in a while.  The film – a mess of double … Continue reading →

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Review: The Frisco Kid (USA 1979)

Posted on July 27, 2017 by David

I feel like this movie never really evolved beyond the elevator pitch. “Gene Wilder will play a rabbi who gets into hijinks in the Wild West! And Harrison Ford will play his desperado sidekick! The comedy will write itself!” Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

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Review: Weiner (USA 2016)

Posted on July 21, 2017 by David

This documentary contains some fascinating material on the failed Anthony Weiner 2013 mayoral run in New York, though I was not overly impressed with the way, at least in the early going, the filmmakers put their thumb on the scale … Continue reading →

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Review: Joe (USA 1970)

Posted on June 20, 2017 by David

Joe has a weird, outsized reputation that contrasts with its relative obscurity – it is a film more talked about than watched. And Joe is a truly odd duck, a Cannon-produced hippie-sploitation movie that points an accusing finger at the … Continue reading →

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Review: The Neon Demon (France/Denmark/USA 2016)

Posted on June 6, 2017 by David

Nicholas Winding Refn’s fable-like dissection of the feminine beauty standard is a truly odd duck. Visually gorgeous, and cold as ice, this story of a young model’s attempts to make it in Los Angeles often zags when you expect it … Continue reading →

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Review: Whiplash (USA 2014)

Posted on May 30, 2017 by David

Whiplash is a perfect example of a mediocre narrative redeemed by an outstanding finale. J.K. Simmons is great – he has always been great since making his first splash on Oz – but this film doesn’t ask him to stretch beyond his … Continue reading →

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Review: Gamer (USA 2009)

Posted on May 9, 2017 by David

I was hoping for the insane highs of Crank 2, but this Neveldine/Taylor joint was a little too bland. The central metaphor – with Gerard Butler as a convict put under the control of rich gamer geeks and forced to … Continue reading →

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