Just Stay Home for This ‘Vacation’ (FILM REVIEW)

Just Stay Home for This ‘Vacation’ (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=4.00] Whatever bad I have to say about Vacation—and there’s a lot—I want to acknowledge that it sure did try its best. That may not count for much, overall, but it counts for something; they could have easily just not tried and relied on the same jokes and the same bits as its predecessors, but […]

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No Molds Broken By ‘Southpaw’ (FILM REVIEW)

No Molds Broken By ‘Southpaw’ (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=5.00] Assume, for the moment, you know nothing about Southpaw. That’s probably a pretty safe bet, otherwise you probably wouldn’t have found yourself here, but roll with me for a moment. You know nothing about Southpaw, and I tell you, “It’s a boxing movie.” Using this as your jumping off point, I now want you […]

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‘Pixels’ Needs A Reset (FILM REVIEW)

‘Pixels’ Needs A Reset (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=3.00] A good idea is a good idea, and there’s a certain amount of credit due towards it for being a good idea. And, for this, I will credit Pixels. As a premise, it’s not that bad. The 2010 short film of the same name proved this when it first hit, showcasing, in under three […]

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‘Trainwreck’ Brings the Laughs, But Offers Little Else (FILM REVIEW)

‘Trainwreck’ Brings the Laughs, But Offers Little Else (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=6.00] I’ve never much been a fan of Amy Schumer’s pretty woman with a foul mouth shtick upon which she’s built her career, at least as it pertains to her stand up. I’ve seen a few of her acts, and they were okay, I guess, but her whole “I get drunk and have sex” persona […]

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Marvel Scales Down With ‘Ant-Man’ (FILM REVIEW)

Marvel Scales Down With ‘Ant-Man’ (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=8.00] As much as I’ve made no bones about my love and appreciation for all things Marvel, the experience of Age of Ultron left much to be desired in my mind. It seemed, then, that the franchise was at a tipping point, where the unending cross-media saturation that Marvel has perfected over the last seven […]

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Amy Winehouse As You’ve Never Seen Her (FILM REVIEW)

Amy Winehouse As You’ve Never Seen Her (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=8.00] I never hopped onto the Amy Winehouse train. To my cynical mind she was merely the singer who they tried to tell to go to rehab, to which she said no with devastating effects. I never gave her a second thought, never lingered on her artistry. In fact, up until I saw Amy, I […]

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‘The Gallows’ Breaks the Boundaries of God Awful (FILM REVIEW)

‘The Gallows’ Breaks the Boundaries of God Awful (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=1.00] Congratulations are in order for horror producer Jason Blum, of Blumhouse—the people who brought you Paranormal Activity and Insidious, as every ad campaign of every movie they release is quick to remind you—as well as the writing and directing duo of Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing and everyone involved with the making of The […]

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‘Terminator’ is Back, Whatever That’s Worth (FILM REVIEW)

‘Terminator’ is Back, Whatever That’s Worth (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=5.00] I am of two entirely disparate, irreconcilable minds when it comes to Terminator Genisys. It’s pointless and it’s necessary. It’s dumb and it’s amazing. It’s contrived and it’s original. It’s spineless and it has balls of steel. I’m left only to conclude that the fate of Genisys lies strictly in the choices of its […]

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‘The Overnight’ A Charming Surprise (FILM REVIEW)

‘The Overnight’ A Charming Surprise (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=7.00] I’ve never really been a big fan of the mumblecore movement. Granted, I’ve not necessarily been a detractor, per se, as occasionally mumblecore has achieved some interesting moments in modern movie making. But for the most part, I’ve found the entire movement to be cloying and chock full of hipster pseudo-intellectualism masquerading as highbrow […]

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‘Me and Earl’ Is To Die For (FILM REVIEW)

‘Me and Earl’ Is To Die For (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=10.00] In the midst of the summer movie blockbuster extravaganza, it can be easy to forget what it is that makes movies so special. Between all the slow motion explosions, the epic hero shots, and the damsels in distress, no one would blame you if a sense of jaded ambivalence settled into your brain and […]

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