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‘The Equalizer 2’ Review: Dumb Sequel = Waste of Denzel’s Talents

Jason Gorber — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 12:00:38 +0000

I half hoped that Denzel Washington’s decision to do his first sequel, teaming up yet again with director Antoine Fuqua, would somehow result in something brilliant. One never knows, we could be treated to a scintillating action-thriller expanding upon the impetus of a quiet, ex-Army Lyft driver who spends his spare time balancing injustice through...

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‘Novitiate’ Review: Sad Nunning

Philip Brown — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 16:00:01 +0000

Earlier this year, we were treated to the nuns-behaving-badly comedy ‘The Little Hours’. Now we’re getting Margaret Betts’ sad, sincere, and painfully true exploration of the misogynistic horrors of marrying God in ‘Novitiate’. Somewhere between the two is a masterpiece that we’ll never see. ‘The Little Hours’ was too flippant and one-note in its humor....

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‘I’m Dying Up Here’ Pilot Recap: “It’s All About the Climb”

Josh Zyber — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 12:00:23 +0000

For a TV show about comedians that’s executive produced by Jim Carrey, Showtime’s new series ‘I’m Dying Up Here’ takes a surprisingly dramatic bent, leaving the laughs only for the scenes of performers on stage. Does this look back at the L.A. stand-up scene of the 1970s kill, or does it bomb? At the moment,...

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Sundance Journal: ‘Novitiate’

Luke Hickman — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 20:00:53 +0000

Reading the synopsis of ‘Novitiate’ led me to believe that the drama would be standard “edgy” festival fodder: a young girl enters a monastery to begin the preparatory process of becoming a nun, only to have her faith shaken. Although this sounds like the usual religion-bashing fare, the film actually treads the middle ground and...

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‘Snowden’ Review: It’s Not Paranoia If They’re Really Out to Get You

Philip Brown — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 19:00:30 +0000

Even though Edward Snowden already got his best possible movie in Laura Poitras’ tense documentary ‘Citizenfour‘, that doesn’t count in Hollywood terms. Unless it’s a bio-pic with a celebrity impersonation, the studio system hasn’t done its job. So now we have the appropriately titled ‘Snowden’, in which none other than Oliver Stone strives to make...

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‘London Has Fallen’ Review: Bigger, Dumber, Not Better

Philip Brown — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:00:31 +0000

In the great battle of “Die Hard in the White House” movies of 2013, ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ emerged as the unlikely victor. That was mostly because it was released before the similarly themed and titled ‘White House Down’, but mostly because it was less overblown (i.e. no Roland Emmerich) and more fun. Now we’re treated...

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‘Wayward Pines’ 1.10 Recap: “No More Lies”

Josh Zyber — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 19:00:12 +0000

Fox’s alleged “Limited Event” series ‘Wayward Pines’ drew to a close last week, and I stuck with it to the end, sometimes against my better judgment. With all the twists now revealed, was it worth the ten-week investment to watch? I recapped the show’s pilot episode back in May but didn’t follow through with writing...

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‘Wayward Pines’ Pilot Recap: “You Could Have an Amazing Life Here”

Josh Zyber — Tue, 19 May 2015 16:00:38 +0000

Having burned up almost all of the good will his career in the movies may have once had, can M. Night Shyamalan redeem himself on the television medium? The one-time auteur gives it a shot with the new ten-episode “Limited Event” series ‘Wayward Pines’ on Fox. The pilot episode isn’t terrible, which I might take...

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Now Playing: ‘Prisoners’ Worth Taking

Bryan Kluger — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 13:00:46 +0000

Denis Villeneuve (director of the Oscar-nominated ‘Incendies‘) has given us one hell of a terrifying and highly suspenseful ride with his first major Hollywood film, ‘Prisoners’. The movie has an amazing cast and an excellent script. It seems like almost every week, we hear a news story about a child in our neighborhood, town or...

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Now Playing: Staring into ‘Oblivion’

Bryan Kluger — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:00:30 +0000

It’s been a great couple of years for science fiction fans. The genre has shown its big head again, and the masses seem to be eating it up. As we gear up for ‘Elysium’, ‘Pacific Rim’ and ‘Star Trek into Darkness’ (just to name a few) later this year, leading the way before summer is...

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‘Mildred Pierce’ Parts 4-5 Recap: “Let’s Get Stinko”

Josh Zyber — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:00:19 +0000

Drew reviewed the first three episodes of HBO’s ambitious ‘Mildred Pierce’ miniseries last week, and was pretty much over the moon for it. The final two parts aired this past Sunday and, when all is said and done, I don’t think I’m quite as enamored with it. Did any of our other readers watch this?...

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Blu-ray Highlights for 3/15/11. What Are You Buying?

Josh Zyber — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:00:29 +0000

Put up yer dukes, ‘cuz it’s time for a fight! This week’s Blu-ray release slate may not seem all that significant in volume, but still manages to offer up a couple of promising titles: ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy‘ (Paramount) ‘Attack Force Z: 30th Anniversary Edition‘ (E1) ‘Au revoir les enfants ‘ (Criterion) ‘Battle...

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