Matthew Lessner‘s new film and first feature, “The Woods,” envisions the fall of the current society and creation of a new one, helmed by the a group of misguided and inept twenty-somethings. Some films march quickly through their paces, hit their plot points, allow their characters to change through fast cuts and dialogue driven action […]
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Honestly, I don’t know if Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is any better than the last two disappointing entries of the franchise or I simply don’t have it in me to care about what happens to these characters anymore. Even though the film did its best to remove the only thing I really […]
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This review of “Farewell” appears on KTKA-49. A 2010 espionage thriller that may have slipped under your radar is now out on Blu-ray and DVD and is definitely worth checking out. “Farewell” is loosely based on the story of a KGB analyst in the early 1980s who became disillusioned with the Soviet regime and began […]
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This review of the “Bridesmaids” appears on KTKA-49. Co-written by and starring “Saturday Night Live” standout Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids” is being marketed as “The Hangover” from a female perspective. It’s a nice shortcut, but there are a couple key differences. First off, despite a couple scenes with over-the-top and scatological humor, “Bridesmaids” is a little […]
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Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) is having a really bad day. In the first few minutes of the film he loses his job, his wife locks him out of the house and leaves town (first throwing all his possessions on the front lawn), his car is repossessed, his bank accounts are locked out, and he falls […]
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Opening this Friday is a film about two princes of a legendary kingdom. The older brother, heir to the throne, is arrogant and proud, the younger is manipulative and jealous. Though the father tries to love each equally, his blind love for the older child leads to an error in judgment, and ultimately the older […]
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In her new release “In a Better World” Dutch filmmaker, Susanne Bier gives us a tense look into the violent human interactions that surround our daily lives, and forces the viewer to question the civility of our civilized world. The film focuses on two parallel stories, the story of Elias (Markus Rygaard) and Christian (William […]
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This review of the “Fast Five” appears on KTKA-49. Supposedly, the fifth movie in the “Fast and Furious” franchise—titled “Fast Five”—takes place before the third movie, but after the fourth. If that sounds like it’s going to make this a tricky film to follow, don’t worry—it’s not. “Fast Five” is a dumb, ridiculous movie filled […]
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This review of the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” appears on KTKA-49. Already available in a Criterion Collection DVD, director Terry Gilliam’s cult movie “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is issued in glorious 1080p HD on Tuesday when Criterion puts out this bonus-filled Blu-ray disc. An adaptation of the seemingly un-adaptable Hunter S. […]
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This review of the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Blu-ray/DVD combo pack appears on KTKA-49. Out this week in a feature-filled DVD/Blu-ray combo pack is “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” or the beginning of the end. The quality of the “Harry Potter” movie adaptations has varied wildly over the […]
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It’s been 11 years since Wes Craven made a “Scream” movie, and in “Scream 4,” he pokes more fun at horror conventions, updating the jabs to include the “Saw” series, among other things. Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell) returns home on the 15th anniversary of the killings in the first film, but—like “Saw”—the “Stab” series of movies based on her story is on its seventh film.
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Directed by Julian Schnabel and adapted from her own novel by Rula Jebreal, Miral is an attempt by the Jewish filmmaker to examine life from the point of view of several Palestinian women after the establishment of the state of Israel. The film begins with the rescue of 55 orphaned children by Hind Hussein (Hiam […]
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Rio is by all accounts a very traditional animated feature. We get likable stars in the form of cute animals, a few big musical numbers, stories centered around friendship and true love, and even a menacing villain or two. Although the film doesn’t stray too far off the path of what we’ve seen (many) times […]
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Win Win is writer/director Thomas McCarthy‘s weakest effort. Now that might sound bad, but only until you realize the man has put together a pretty impressive resume so far. McCarthy both wrote and directed The Visitor and The Station Agent, as well as penning the original story Pixar’s Up was based on. That’s a pretty […]
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Based on the experiences of Bethany Hamilton (played here by AnnaSophia Robb), Soul Surfer tells the story of a young girl who lost her arm to a shark attack, which threatened to end a promising amateur surfing career. The main focus of the film is Bethany’s struggle — and that of her family and friends […]
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