Disney gets a lot of grief for these feel-good sports movies that tend to up the schmaltz and oversimplify the story. Say what you want about them, they usually have a helluva lot of heart and are (at least a little) smarter than their critics give them credit for. I’ll freely admit to liking my […]
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If you’ve ever thought what was really missing from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was a teen’s perspective then It’s Kind of a Funny Story might be what you’re looking for. Although not in the same class with Cuckoo’s Nest, this film adapted from Ned Vizzini’s novel of the same name by writers/directors Anna […]
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Here’s my video review of “Never Let Me Go”from KTKA-49. Based on the award-winning novel of the same name, “Never Let Me Go” is a sci-fi film with almost none of the outward trappings – no spaceships, lasers, or any of that. Instead of a futuristic setting, it takes place in a recent sort of […]
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This film was screened at Fantastic Fest 2010 and ended up on my Top 10 best of the festival list—more #FF2010 coverage here. After 12 years in prison, life doesn’t seem so bad for the physically imposing yet seemingly docile Ulrik (Stellan Skarsgard). His longtime friend and former crime boss Rune (Bjørn Floberg) has set […]
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The word “bunraku” refers to form of Japanese puppet theater where the puppeteers, usually dressed in black, are visible on stage. “Bunraku” the film combines elements of classic samurai and cowboy films and sets it in a gunless future that feels more like an alternate past. The aesthetic feels both unique and familiar. While it […]
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The slasher film ruled the horror genre from the release of “Halloween” in 1978 until Jason was sent to Hell in 1993. It had a brief resurgence, though, with the self-aware “Scream” trilogy and the films that followed in its wake. But true 80s-style horror has been the exception, rather than the rule. Enter writer/director […]
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Fantastic Fest 2010 has started and George Hickman is covering it for Scene-Stealers. His reviews of all the movies he can cram into one week will be published here until the genre-oriented film festival is over and his bloody fingers can type no more. “14 Blades” – Minor Rock Fist Up Fantastic Fest has begun […]
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Where the spooky Swedish film “Let the Right One In” was set (like John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s novel) in an economically depressed apartment complex in early-80s Stockholm, the American remake “Let Me In” paints a similarly bleak picture, taking place in dreary suburban Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1983. Writer/director Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”) goes further with […]
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Here’s my video review of Ben Affleck‘s “The Town” from KTKA-49. Like his directorial debut “Gone Baby Gone” from three years ago, Ben Affleck’s newest movie “The Town” is a crime drama set in his hometown of Boston. More specifically, the Charlestown neighborhood—which has more bank robberies per capita than any other place in the […]
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With the release of “I’m Still Here,” the mockumentary has officially come full circle. Actors have already played roles in documentary-style comedies (“This is Spinal Tap,” “Best in Show”), they’ve combined that format with real-life pranks (“Borat,” “Bruno”), and they’ve played fictional versions of themselves for laughs (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Extras”). This time the performance […]
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I must confess that when I first saw the trailer for “Easy A,” the literature nerd in me was thrilled. A teen comedy that takes on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”? So down. I didn’t expect much of the movie—by which I mean I went in with no expectations of greatness—and while I don’t think […]
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Here is Eric’s KTKA-49 review of “The American” starring George Clooney. His print review of the movie is right here: Movie Review: The American
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Make no mistake: Just because Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete” revolves around timely issues like anti-immigrant xenophobia and Hispanic stereotyping doesn’t mean he gives them the respect and critical treatment they deserve. Instead, he does what any low-budget genre filmmaker worth his salt-covered wound did in the 1970s: He exploits the hell out them. “Machete” is the […]
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