HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET || September 21st, 2012
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DREDD || “Dredd 3D” is what it is; a violent, vicious action film that packs a punch. With slightly too much gore and slow motion for its own good, Karl Urban is brilliantly cast as the lead, taking the over-amped character of Judge Dredd to a level that isn’t hokey, delivering lines that, if spoken by any other actor, would be taken as a joke. Olivia Thirlby also fits in with her surroundings, never faltering despite her lack of action background. “Dredd 3D” rises above its B-movie demeanor and highly criticized predecessor and delivers a futuristic smash ’em up flick that works, even if it does follow the same plot line as “The Raid: Redemption”. |  |
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END OF WATCH || After the first trailer for this film, I wasn’t sold on “End Of Watch”. Though I am usually a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal, the shaky camera police footage was not what I needed in a film. However, after a better second trailer and an extremely good for Rogert Ebert, I am pretty sure I will need to see this film to base my final opinion on, probably when it hits the cheap seats. |
THEATER |
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HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET || On paper, this sounds like your run-of-the-mill thriller, but “House at the End of the Street” works quite wonderfully, made possible, mostly by Jennifer Lawrence adding a touch of sophistication to the entire film. Packing its punchy thrills with the style you expect from a good horror film while keeping its secrets well preserved, lands this film on the plus side. However, it loses points with its blatant explanations, taking most the guesswork out of the twisted situations. Rarely taking the easy horror gimmicks, “House at the End of the Street” leaves the audience with some fresh ideas to keep them thinking about the story, even after the thoughtful credits. | |
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THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER || I loved the book growing up and the only way I said I’d see the movie is if the author also penned the screenplay… well low and behold, he not only wrote the screenplay but directed the film as well. With a great looking cast, this could be a really great teenage drama, but better than the book? I doubt it. | THEATER |
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TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE || While it tries to be both smart and sincere, “Trouble with the Curve” relies wholly on its A-list cast, Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams, to carry the film. About a stubborn old man pushing his only daughter away, the motives behind his absentee-father excuse are paper thin, as is the backdrop of baseball which sadly holds little stake in the actual plot and could have been any sport. Unlike a more solid baseball drama like “Moneyball”, Eastwood’s latest film is all performance with no depth or originality. |  |
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17 GIRLS || Deep down, I feel this film would bother me more than anything, and not on a film-making standpoint, but from a societal standpoint. Why 17 high school girls would all want to get pregnant to be apart of some sorority-of-sorts is beyond me and this based on true events. I’m going to have to say “pass” just for the sake of my blood pressure. | PASS |
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ABOUT CHERRY || Sexy, Indie, and stacked with talent, “About Cherry” follows a young woman who enters into the seductive world of pornography. Starring established actors like James Franco, Dev Patel (“Slumgdog Millionaire”), and Heather Graham, and introducing Ashley Hinshaw (“Chronicle”, “LOL”), this film has an allure that will definitely get me to see it. | RENT |
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BACKWARDS || James Van Der Beek is taking time out from shooting his ABC comedy show “Don’t Trust the Bitch, In Apartment 23” to star in this Indie titled, “Backwards” about a female Olympic athlete who takes on the responsibility of coaching a team of high school girl rowers, until she is called back to compete in the Olympics. With Van Der Beek the main love interest, he proves he’s still relevant and could prove to keep moving up with his career while I ultimately have to pass on this film. | PASS |
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BROOKLYN BROTHERS BEAT THE BEST || What looks to be a pretty entertaining comedy, “Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best” has some interesting humor and with Michael Weston, I will probably be catching this film at some point. | STREAM |
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DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL || With so many documentaries coming out each week, it is often hard for me to choose which ones I will see and which ones I will pass by. Especially when it comes to fashion documentaries, it is hard for me to decide to see them, but in this case, Diana seems like such a character and with so many actual interviews with her, it would be interesting to see this film from her point-of-view. | STREAM |
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ENGLISH VNGLISH || I appreciate what this film is trying to do, but (and call me ignorant and all the names that you want), but I will never understand Bollywood films until the culture is explained to me, to which I look forward to that conversation. Until then, I will not be seeing an Bollywood films and will remain vexed by them. | PASS |
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HEAD GAMES || Sure, concussions aren’t the biggest problem facing the world today, but I can see where people are coming from. “Head Games” makes the case that athletes need to be better protected. I used to watch professional wrestling and I do recall Christopher Nowinski being present and his battle with concussions and to see him in this film reminds me of that, but apart from that, it is hard to understand exactly what this group wants. | STREAM |
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HELLBOUND? || Most documentaries attempt to show an audience something they didn’t know about or didn’t know existed, or tries to bring to light an argument while showing either both sides or why a certain side might be right. But “Hellbound?” is a debate on whether or not Hell exists. Since almost nothing in religion can be proven, how does this film argue a side? I get that it can show us “evidence” but in reality, there is no undeniable proof. | PASS |
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HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE || A documentary about the AIDS epidemic and the social activists that pushed for the CDC to help find a cure despite the governments non-involvement, I have many mixed feelings about the film from its trailer and though the trailer does effectively sell what this film is, I am not sure I am sold on seeing it. | PASS |
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KNUCKLEBALL! || Yet another documentary this week, “Knuckleball” is brings to light, exactly what the title suggests, the pitch in American baseball called the “knuckleball” and the controversy behind it. This film looks to be a fun, engaging documentary. | STREAM |
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MASQUERADE || I quit watching this trailer on principle. I work in the trailer industry and when a poorly produced trailer is sent out for the world to see, it makes me somewhat angry, knowing how much work and precision goes into making these. This trailer had volume control issues in which I had to turn my speakers almost all the way down. Who thought that was okay? | PASS |
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MY UNCLE RAFEAL || This looks dumb… that’s all I can say. | PASS |
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UNCONDITIONAL || There’s a lot of emotions and hope in this trailer and it plays off like a religious themed film without actually being religiously themed. About two people who are facing hardships in their life, who lean on one another to learn how to pull through, I have seen this story done hundreds of times before and probably in slightly better ways, though I did have hope for Lynn Collins and Michael Ealy. | PASS |
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YOU MAY NOT KISS THE BRIDE || I often wonder how films like this get so many big names. I could understand getting Katherine McPhee, even though she’s gorgeous, but Kathy Bates? Mena Suvari? Tia Carrere? even Rob Schneider? The trailer is a joke, especially with the cheesy pop song thrown in the mix, but perhaps the film isn’t so bad if it actually attracted so much star-power. | PASS |
THEATER
- Dredd
- End Of Watch
- House at the End of the Street
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Trouble With The Curve
RENT
- About Cherry
STREAM
- Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best
- Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel
- Head Games
- Knuckleball!
PASS
- 17 Girls
- Backwards
- English Vnglish
- Hellbound?
- How to Survive a Plague
- Masquerade
- My Uncle Rafael
- Unconditional
- You May Not Kiss The Bride
