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TIFF Journal: ‘Brad’s Status’

Philip Brown — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 19:00:45 +0000

Brad’s Status is a film about narcissism and self-pity from a fairly successful middle-aged and middle class man played by Ben Stiller. That should mean that it’s an almost unwatchable bit of navel-gazing, but in the hands of writer/director Mike White, the film is so funny, touching, insightful and true that it stings deeply. In...

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‘Zoolander 2’ Review: Acceptable, If Nothing Special

Philip Brown — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 14:00:50 +0000

Comedy sequels ain’t easy. Like hearing the same joke twice, it just won’t be quite as funny the second time, no matter how amusing the telling. Only a handful of examples manage to match or top their originals, but those are the exceptions, not the rule. That’s certainly true of ‘Zoolander 2’, a sequel that...

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‘While We’re Young’ Review: Young People Suck

Philip Brown — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 15:00:19 +0000

Noah Baumbach has been a master of caustic comedy since his debut ‘Kicking and Screaming’. (No, not the one with Will Ferrell. The other one.) He’s a man for whom laughter always comes with a bitter sting of truth and deep discomfort. That’s why it was so surprising when he made the sincere and even...

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‘Night at the Museum’ Contest Results

Josh Zyber — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 13:00:12 +0000

You know, in real museums, the dinosaur skeletons and historical dioramas never actually come to life. What a total rip-off! You need the magic of movies for that to happen. Last week, we promised to give away a copy of ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’ on Blu-ray. Let’s find out who won....

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Contest: Win ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’ on Blu-ray!

Josh Zyber — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:00:34 +0000

Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, the late Robin Williams and the rest of the gang (yes, even the monkey) are back in the family sequel ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb‘. If you have kids, there’s a good chance that they’ll want a copy of this to watch over and over again, just like...

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TIFF Journal: ‘While We’re Young’

Philip Brown — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 15:00:42 +0000

Middle-aged Noah Baumbach just had his greatest success with ‘Frances Ha‘, which dealt with the plight of the twenty-something with warmth, compassion and good humor. Now he’s made a move that feels like artistic venting after that experience. ‘While We’re Young’ is about how worthless all those twenty-something kids are, and it’s pretty damn priceless....

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Blu-ray Highlights: Week of April 13th, 2014 – Murders Don’t Come Any Neater

Josh Zyber — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:00:44 +0000

Classic film noir makes a strong showing on Blu-ray this week, as a couple masterpieces of the genre finally appear on the format. Some newer movies are available too, of course, if the prospect of black & white scares you. New Releases ‘Philomena‘ – Even if the movie never stood a chance of winning any...

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Now Playing: Dreamer’s Delight

Luke Hickman — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 16:00:47 +0000

Feel-good movies typically entail obvious manipulation and cheap attempts at stirring emotions. I dislike most of them for that reason. They’re void of quality, character and entertainment. However, every once in a while, one comes along with true merit. After some fantastic trailers, I got my hopes up a little for Ben Stiller’s new adaptation...

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Mid-Week Poll: Which December 2013 Movies Are You Excited To See?

Josh Zyber — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Along with beaming children, the warm embrace of families, holiday cheer and all that nonsense, the end of the year also brings with it a bunch of big new movie releases. December is traditionally a time when Hollywood rolls out a bunch of potential blockbusters and Oscar hopefuls. Which movies this month do you look...

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‘Arrested Development’ Season 4 Recap: “Daddy Needs to Get His Rocks Off”

Shannon Nutt — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:00:35 +0000

Seven years after being canceled by Fox, ‘Arrested Development’ returns with 15 brand-new episodes (currently) available only on Netflix. Like it has done with its other exclusive series, Netflix has made the entire season available all at once, which allows fans to binge on the Bluths or take their time to savor each and every...

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Weekend Movies: Counter-Programming

Luke Hickman — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:00:35 +0000

What kind of movies think they can go head-to-head with the Caped Crusader? Little ones – little movies that aren’t even close to playing on the same field as ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. This week, we have an R-rated comedy, a dance flick and a few awesome-sounding strange indie titles. With family in town and...

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Now Playing: Don’t Bother to ‘Watch’

Aaron Peck — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:00:27 +0000

I’m trying to think of a more dismally unfunny comedy than ‘The Watch’, but I can’t. (Maybe ‘The Dilemma’.) The movie is 98 grueling minutes of dick jokes. Unfunny dick jokes. ‘The Watch’ is the definition of lazy comedy. Let’s get a bunch of funny guys together (Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill), throw...

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