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8 articles
Movie Review: 2012
12 November 2009 9:16 PM, PST
Nov 13, 2009 If you judge a film based on how well it delivers what an audience should expect of it, I find it hard to believe that 2012 could possibly disappoint (other than possibly ruining dinner plans with its extreme length). This is the culmination of Roland Emmerich's career, an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink film that never hides its intention to be nothing more than a ridiculous, over-the-top, jaw-dropping rollercoaster of an experience. Is it good? It depends on what you mean by “good.” Was The Poseidon Adventure good? The Towering Inferno? 2012 is a ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
Movie Review: Pirate Radio
12 November 2009 9:15 PM, PST
Nov 13, 2009 With a great true story and one of the most purely entertaining ensembles of the year, Richard Curtis' Pirate Radio starts with a bang. It's like walking into a lavish costume party with likable characters, amazing tunes, and simply spectacular period clothes. The problem is that films require a bit more than a costume party. The goodwill of the first half hour or so of Pirate Radio wears off when you realize that it really has nowhere to go after that stellar introduction. Several films in one without fully developing any of ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
Movie Review: The House of the Devil
12 November 2009 8:31 PM, PST
Nov 12, 2009
If a ticket buyer were to stumble into a theater showing Ti West's The House of the Devil without knowing what to expect, they might think they had come across a long-lost Tobe Hooper film from the early 1980s or at least a film from a lesser-known director of the same era. Ti West has made a horror flick that is not meant to merely be Set in the early 1980s but is designed to feel like it was actually produced back then. Everything from the font of the opening credits to ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
Movie Review: Women in Trouble
12 November 2009 8:05 PM, PST
Nov 12, 2009
Sebastian Gutierrez's Women in Trouble features some of my absolute favorite actresses giving vibrant, sexy, daring performances. And that's why it practically crushes me to say that the movie doesn't quite work. It's a near-miss by a writer/director who I hope keeps trying to make more of these Almodovar-esque quilts of interweaving stories. Just because Women in Trouble doesn't quite come together doesn't mean there aren't elements of it that work and the entire project hints that the previously critically-reviled Gutierrez could really make a great film like it if he keeps ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
Movie Review: Skin
12 November 2009 7:48 PM, PST
Nov 12, 2009
The drama Skin is a well-performed, interesting true story about the ridiculousness of apartheid and racism in general set against the backdrop of three decades in South Africa. It is the tale of a woman caught between races – accepted and then discarded by both. There is inherent dramatic power in the tale of Sandra Laing and the performances in Skin are admirable, but the film never finds the emotional chords that could have elevated it to more than just a "good drama." There are elements that hint at a movie that could have ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
Interview with Richard Curtis, Director of Pirate Radio
12 November 2009 10:52 AM, PST
Nov 12, 2009
Richard Curtis is a legend in the United Kingdom, the man who made one of the country’s most popular shows of all time (Black Adder) and helped turn Hugh Grant into a household name. He wrote Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Tall Guy¸ Notting Hill, the adaptation of Bridget Jones’ Diary, and many of the adventures of Mr. Bean before moving into the director’s chair for the beloved Love Actually and, now, Pirate Radio (known as The Boat That Rocked overseas before a stateside title change). GA_googleFillSlot("movieretriever_blogpost_inline_rectangle_new"); Curtis’ ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
They Made a Part Two to What? - The Ten Worst Unexpected Sequels of All Time
11 November 2009 6:21 AM, PST
Nov 11, 2009
Most films that end up producing a sequel were more than likely conceived with future installments in mind. Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, even Saw – when the filmmaker wrapped production on part one, they intended to see most of the cast and crew a few months down the line. Much rarer is the sequel that comes completely out of left field, a part two that even the filmmakers never thought would happen when they devised part one. Such must be the case with Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, a ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
Movie Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats
9 November 2009 8:48 PM, PST
Nov 09, 2009
The Men Who Stare at Goats is one of those films that you won’t be disappointed you saw. However, you may not be wildly excited about having seen it either. The trouble is that this blending of action-adventure, political thriller, and dark comedy is never really brilliant nor is it just plain awful. It’s the cinematic equivalent of Baby Bear’s porridge – a very middle-of-the-road film that gets lost quite a few times but not badly enough to make it a waste. An intriguing story (which is apparently based on actual facts, then ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com »
8 articles
