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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Let me say right up front that I quite enjoyed “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” but I don’t expect most other people will. At unless they’re hardcore Tolkienites like myself. Director Peter...
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Too much or too little? When it comes to Tolkien screen adaptations, there seems to be little agreement in how much material to stuff into these movies. The choice by director Peter Jackson and his...
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Cloud Atlas
A grand, brave, often mesmerizing but just as often puzzling cinematic experience, “Cloud Atlas” takes a book generally thought to be unfilmable and delivers something rather astonishing. The...
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The Matrix (1999)
“Science-fiction not only shows us the future, it shows us ourselves.” — James Pinkerton With its tale of a world in which people are at the mercy of machines, 1999’s “The Matrix” pulsates with Y2K...
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The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies
Unlike the triumphant finale of the three “The Lord of the Rings” films, the last movie in “The Hobbit” trilogy feels more like the grateful collapse at the end of an overlong marathon. With regard to...
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The Judge
One of my favorite pieces of obscure movie dialogue is from “Casablanca.” An old German married couple is practicing their halting English before leaving for America, and the husband asks her the...
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“Sniper” continues box office roll
TW Title (click to view) Weekend Gross Average Total Gross 1 American Sniper $64,365,000 $17,372 $200,137,000 2 The Boy Next Door $15,001,000 $5,765 $15,001,000 3 Paddington $12,391,000 $3,693...
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Confusion Through Sand
The best animation is seldom a photorealistic reflection of real life. The power of the medium is its ability to express complex and nuanced ideas in an abstract, almost intuitive way. Great animation...
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Finally…a “Fantastic Four” trailer. Guess what? It doesn’t suck.
The long-awaited “Fantastic Four” trailer finally hit the Interwebs, and guess what? It doesn’t look like a complete disaster. We see most of the principles, except for Toby Kebbel’s Dr. Doom, whom we...
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Class of 1985: “The Falcon and the Snowman”
In the “Class of …” series, Nick Rogers takes a monthly look back at films celebrating either their 20th or 30th anniversary of initial release this year — six from 1995 and six from 1985. The rules:...
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Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Animated
A Single Life — This fiendishly clever Dutch short manages to encapsulate an entire life in just two minutes. Well, an unnecessarily abbreviated life. Filmmakers Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins and Job...
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Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Live Action
La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak (Butter Lamp) — The entirety of “Butter Lamp” takes place in front of a photographer’s backdrop as he and his assistant take portraits of the people of the remotest reaches...
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Black Sea
“Black Sea” is a blue-collar “The Hunt for Red October,” a crudely crafted “Crimson Tide.” It doesn’t transcend the tired submarine genre, but the film inhabits it with a greasy, rugged aplomb....
View Article“Hot Tub Time Machine 2″ offers warnings for rooting for Patriots
The Super Bowl spot for “Hot Tub Time Machine 2″ has dropped and offers a warning for rooting for the Patriots. Just take a look here: “Hot Tub Time Machine 2″ stars Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson,...
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A Most Violent Year
An irreversibly crooked man strives for the straight-and-narrow, constantly compromising to convince himself he’s uncompromised. You’ve seen this New York crime story, but you’ve rarely seen it as...
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New to View: Reeves lights up ‘John Wick’
By Bob Bloom The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Feb. 3: John Wick (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) Details: 2014, Lionsgate Rated: R, graphic and bloody violence, language,...
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Indy Style — January 30
On this episode of “Indy Style,” Chris previews the 10 films of 2015 he’s most anticipating.
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Transformers: Dark of the Moon
I think Michael Bay said it best in his 2007 Verizon Wireless commercial, “I’m Michael Bay and I like things AWESOME!” Boy, does he ever. This week, Bay’s conclusion to the Transformers trilogy,...
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Captain America: The First Avenger
“Captain America: The First Avenger” surprised me by not being awful — fitfully entertaining in spurts, even. Coming off a summer of superhero flicks that ranged from awful (“Green Lantern”) to pretty...
View ArticleHugo
“Hugo” is an often-delightful movie that always kept me guessing. It’s got a lot of Charles Dickens mixed with a little steampunk fantasy, layered with a rich frosting of tribute to early 20th-century...
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